Implementation of a bag medication reconciliation initiative to decrease posthospitalization medication discrepancies

Medication discrepancies occur in 70% of hospital patients, especially during discharge. In community settings, bag medication reconciliation events have demonstrated effectiveness in evaluating current medication use and identifying medication discrepancies. A bag medication reconciliation process was implemented in the hospital setting to decrease medication discrepancies by encouraging evaluation of medication adherence, side effects, and monitoring at posthospitalization follow-up. After implementation, a 7% decrease in reportable errors was noted.