BACKGROUND Medication errors occur regularly in surgical patients, especially due to transfer problems at the time of hospital admission. A method for decreasing the error rate is medication reconciliation by hospital pharmacists as part of a preoperative clinic. The role of pharmacy technicians in this process has not been studied. OBJECTIVE To study the use of pharmacy technicians in medica...

Background: Medication reconciliation is an essential, but resource-intensive process without a “gold standard” to measure medication adherence. Medication reconciliation applications that focus on facilitating clinicians’ decision-making are needed. Since no single available source of medication information is adequate, combining data sources may improve usefulness and outcomes. Objectives: We...

At all interfaces of care during a hospital stay (admission, transfer, and discharge), the potential exists for inaccurate information about a patient’s drug therapy to be used for various purposes. If inaccurate information is used in establishing or modifying therapy, adverse drug events may occur. Such adverse events may span the range of drug-related problems, from inappropriate initiation ...

BACKGROUND Medication reconciliation reduces potential medication discrepancies and adverse drug events. The role of pharmacy technicians in obtaining best possible medication histories (BPMHs) and performing reconciliation at the admission and transfer interfaces of care for pediatric patients has not been described. OBJECTIVES To compare the completeness and accuracy of BPMHs and reconcilia...