The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has offered seven guiding principles for healthcare organizations designing a medication reconciliation process.
The guiding principles are part of a larger medication reconciliation toolkit created by researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The toolkit is intended to help healthcare providers optimize their organization's respective medication reconciliation processes and prevent adverse drug events and related costs for care.
Here are the seven guiding principles outlined in the MATCH toolkit:
1. Develop a single medication list, shared by all disciplines for documenting the patient's current medications.
2. Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each discipline involved in medication reconciliation.
3. Standardize and simplify the medication reconciliation process throughout the organization and eliminate unnecessary redundancies.
4. Make the right thing to do the easiest thing to do within the patterns of normal practice.
5. Develop effective prompts or reminders for consistent behavior if true forcing functions. Note that not all steps in the reconciliation process are possible within an electronic health record.
6. Educate patients and their families or caregivers on medication reconciliation and the important role they play in the process.
7. Ensure process design meets all pertinent local laws or regulatory requirements. Linking medication reconciliation to other strategic goals and/or other initiatives when appropriate can also strengthen the importance of this process.
The guiding principles are part of a larger medication reconciliation toolkit created by researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The toolkit is intended to help healthcare providers optimize their organization's respective medication reconciliation processes and prevent adverse drug events and related costs for care.
Here are the seven guiding principles outlined in the MATCH toolkit:
1. Develop a single medication list, shared by all disciplines for documenting the patient's current medications.
2. Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each discipline involved in medication reconciliation.
3. Standardize and simplify the medication reconciliation process throughout the organization and eliminate unnecessary redundancies.
4. Make the right thing to do the easiest thing to do within the patterns of normal practice.
5. Develop effective prompts or reminders for consistent behavior if true forcing functions. Note that not all steps in the reconciliation process are possible within an electronic health record.
6. Educate patients and their families or caregivers on medication reconciliation and the important role they play in the process.
7. Ensure process design meets all pertinent local laws or regulatory requirements. Linking medication reconciliation to other strategic goals and/or other initiatives when appropriate can also strengthen the importance of this process.
Related Articles on Medication Safety:
Institute for Safe Medication Practices Questions Medication Storage Rules
DeKalb Medical Reduces Readmissions, Increases Satisfaction With Bedside Medication Program
NQF's National Priorities Partnership Illustrates 5 Health Improvement Case Studies