Medication Reconciliation: What It Is and Why It Matters

“Medication reconciliation” sounds like one of those healthcare phrases that makes something simple sound complicated.

Really, it means this: make sure the medication list is actually correct.

That can be surprisingly hard.

A person may have medications prescribed by several different doctors, old bottles still sitting in the cabinet, over-the-counter medications, supplements, and new prescriptions added during a hospital stay.

The list in the medical record may say one thing.

The bottles at home may say something else.

And the patient may be taking something different from both.

This is especially common after a hospitalization, surgery, or new diagnosis.

A medication may have been stopped in the hospital, but no one clearly explained that it should not be restarted at home. A dose may have changed. Two medications may be treating the same thing. A specialist may have updated a prescription without the primary care office having the same list.

Medication reconciliation is the process of laying everything out and comparing it carefully.

That may include reviewing the actual medication bottles, checking doses and timing, identifying duplicates, looking at over-the-counter products and supplements, and flagging anything that does not make sense.

The nurse is not there to independently change the medication plan.

The point is to identify discrepancies and get the right questions back to the physician or pharmacist.

This can be especially helpful for people who take several medications, see multiple specialists, have memory changes, or have just come home from the hospital.

Medication mistakes can cause dizziness, falls, confusion, poor symptom control, and avoidable trips back to the emergency department.

Sometimes the fix is not complicated.

Sometimes the family simply needs one accurate list and a clear plan.

The Nursing Suite provides private medication management and reconciliation support across the North Shore and Greater Boston.

Talk to a Nurse if the medication list has become harder to follow than it should be.