Medication reconciliation
Also called Med rec
Medication reconciliation compares every list of a patient's medicines to produce one accurate list of what they actually take, with doses.
Why it matters in a workup
Lists drift apart between the primary care record, hospital notes, pharmacy and what the patient takes at home. Reconciliation finds and resolves the differences.
It matters most at transitions such as admission, discharge and referral, where errors are common.
Put it into practice
- Compare every source list, with dates
- Ask the patient what they actually take
- Record each change with the reason
Frequently asked questions
Which source is the right one?
None by default. The reconciled list comes from comparing them and confirming with the patient or caregiver.
General guidance on clinical documentation, not advice about any individual patient and not legal advice.
Glossary
Look up related terms
- Discharge summaryA discharge summary tells the patient's primary care physician what happened in the hospital: diagnoses, treatment, medication changes and what needs follow-up.
- HandoverA handover transfers responsibility for a patient from one clinician or team to another, with the information they need to continue care.
- Problem listA problem list is a running list of a patient's active and past diagnoses and issues, kept current so any clinician sees the whole picture at a glance.