Reducing Discrepancies in Medication Histories and Orders at Handoffs

Gary Noskin, M.D., Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
AHRQ Grant No. HS015886-01

Overview

This project implements a training intervention to improve medication history interviewing skills and offers a guide to creating a single medication history list within the medical record. The training focuses on identifying patient risk factors frequently responsible for inaccurate medication reconciliation, including limited English proficiency and low health literacy, complex medication histories, or impaired cognitive status. The toolkit contains resources for both health care professionals and patients, including:

• Resources for measuring error and associated harm.
• Guidelines on safe process design principles.
• Evaluation, education, and training tools.
• Lessons learned on implementation and sustainability of medication reconciliation, among others.

Target Audience

Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, quality and safety professionals, patients, caregivers.

Health Care Setting

Hospitals, pharmacies, outpatient facilities.

Toolkit Web Site

http://www.medrec.nmh.org/nm/for+physicians+match

Press Releases

AHRQ Awards More Than $8 Million To Further Implementation of Evidence-Based Patient Safety Findings
June 8, 2005

Return to Contents