JCAHO Medication Reconciliation

[SEOBowhntr]

Recently our facility have implemented a plan of MEDICATION RECONCILIATION in which the nurse is required to provide rationales for why a physician did not continue a patient's home medications, and re-rationalize with transfers, after a surgical procedure, and upon discharge. I wondered how other facilities are doing this MEDICATION RECONCILIATION process. I have a letter at the STATE BOARD OF NURSING, NURSE PRACTICE committee right now and am awaiting a response on their stance on this issue.

I firmly believe that MEDICATION RECONCILIATION is a PHYSICIAN'S RESPONSIBILITY, not a nurses. Furthermore, nurses willing to assume such responsibility would seem to be opening themselves up to a liability issue that we as nurses really shouldn't be involved in. How are other facilities around the country completing medication reconciliation????

[matchstickxx]

We (nursing) do not provide the rationale behind why a home med is or is not continued...we simply ensure the physician addresses the continuation or discontinuation of a home med while the patient is in the hospital. When we admit a patient, we ask the patient what they take at home. We then print out the list and the physician must indicate whether or not to continue each med while in the hospital.

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

We (nursing) do not provide the rationale behind why a home med is or is not continued...we simply ensure the physician addresses the continuation or discontinuation of a home med while the patient is in the hospital. When we admit a patient, we ask the patient what they take at home. We then print out the list and the physician must indicate whether or not to continue each med while in the hospital.

This is also how it's done in the hospitals where I've had clinicals. There's a similar discussion elsewhere on this site. I think the problem is that some facilities are implimenting the rule differently. Jhaco just said it must be done by a responsible person. Some hospitals seem to think that means nurses.

Should I say it?........... Does that mean their physicians are ir...responsible?