Low tech ,Slow Medicine Prevent medication errors with medication reconciliation.

 Prevent medication errors with medication reconciliation.

 Medication reconciliation.vould have most likely prevented this patient's medication error.

Medication reconciliation is the process of creating an accurate comprehensive list of patient's prescriptions and nonprescription medications.

(Including the dose, frequency, route of administration.) When comparing the list to medication orders at admission, transfer, discharge to resolve inconsistencies. Completion of medication reconciliation decreases adverse drug events. Although the effect on hospital readmissions, morbidity and mortality is less clear, medication reconciliation should occur at all care transitions prevent medication errors.

Although this is a very low-tech and slow medicine with great improvement of patient care it takes time and time is money in medicine. Anything which takes time is pushed onto the lowest rung on the ladder of authority. So invariably tends to end up in the hands of the certified nursing assistant who does not seem to have any idea what these medications are for similar to that of the elderly patient so all the hot air which is spewed out of the experts in academic institutions regarding medication reconciliation being a low-tech and slow low cost medicine which can do an excellent preventive job of medication errors which in fact it does if it is done by the physician and some being down by the certified nursing assistant defeating the whole purpose. Many a time even the physician is in quandary because patients are given these medications by multiple specialist physicians who practice in their own watertight silos and have absolutely no time or inclination to look at patients other problems and medications signed and the whole shebang falls into the lap of the primary care physician who already is time constrained. So I would like to throw open the discussion to the general public who may read this blog to come up with alternate solutions.

One very low-tech slow medicine intervention which I have found useful is a computer printout of all the medications taken by the patient once quarterly can ask a friend or relative who is computer savvy to look into the list and see what medications can be reduced and what medications are not being taken and whether there is a need to make sure that the patient takes those medications are not and also discussed with the patient why she is not taking effect medication and also go into the financial aspects in order to reduce polypharmacy and also to improve patient adherence.