What is medication reconciliation and who performs it?

• A. Process of ensuring accuracy of a resident's medication list; typically performed by a nurse or pharmacist; CMAs assist with data collection.
• B. A financial audit.
• C. A cleaning process.
• D. A process only done at discharge.

Answer: (A)

Medication reconciliation is the careful process of creating and maintaining an accurate, complete list of every medicine a resident is taking, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter products, vitamins, and supplements, along with doses, routes, and frequencies. This list is then compared to the current provider orders to identify and correct discrepancies. The goal is to ensure safety and continuity of care, especially during transitions such as admission, transfer, or discharge, by preventing omissions, duplications, dosing errors, or harmful drug interactions. In practice, a nurse or pharmacist typically performs the reconciliation because they have the clinical training to evaluate the appropriateness and safety of medications. Nursing assistants or certified medication aides (CMAs) can help by gathering information from the resident and family, collecting medication containers, and recording what the resident reports; the final updates to the medication list are made by the nurse or pharmacist.