reconciling medications

[MISTY BODINE]

How many of you out there are having problems finding a list of home meds on a patient. Where do you get an appropiate list after the pharm closes? Is this part of your admission and are you held accountable for a accuate list. NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Nope. Our Drs are responsible for our med reconcilitation. It must come with admission or transfer orders.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

we have a form on which the meds are written by the admitting nurse. The MD checks off the ones that patient will need while in the hospital. On discharge the MD must check in ANOTHER column which the patient will use to go home and the nurse gives education on these. We are not real happy with the system but it serves the purpose of documenting and having a checklist at the same time without having to write everything over and over.

[BinkieRN, BSN, RN]

If we can't get a complete or accurate list then it's the doctors problem. We document that we couldn't get a complete or accurate list.

At discharge the doctor must document on the computer which meds the patient is to take at home. It is printed out on the computer and signed by the physician.

[Zee_RN, BSN, RN]

We are to exhaust all resources. Calling family, physicians' offices, pharmacies. If there is nothing at all available, you'd better document your patootie off. Physicians aren't ultimately responsible at my place.

[Babs0512]

In our hospital, the nurse verifies with the patient the list of medications provided on the H&P or admission form etc... We ask pt's to bring a list. If the two match, great, if not, the nurse adds any additional medications the MD missed. Then it's up to the MD to order the meds or not.

Imperfect system. But I believe the patient should be accountable to know their medications - often they see several "specialists" who don't always share info with the patients other "specialists" - it can be a med reconciliation nightmare. We give a handy dandy credit card size system for the patients to list all their medications.

I really don't feel as though it should be the complete responsibility of the hospital or any one doctor to know all the patients medications. The accountability for the patient's part of their care is being removed, and that just leaves more room for lawsuits, in my opinion.

Today, we send patients to every specialist their is. Remember when ER docs use to set bones? Now, an ortho is called in to do it.

God Bless