Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an ABSL-4 Laboratory: 4. Medical Imaging Procedures
Published on: October 3, 2016
Inter-facility communication barriers delay resolving medication discrepancies during transitions of care
Mark E Patterson1, Janice B Foust2, Sandra Bollinger3
1Division of Pharmacy Practice and Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Pharmacy, Kansas City, MO, 64108, USA.
Background:
Medication discrepancies occurring during transitions of care between hospitals and nursing homes increase the risk of adverse events for patients. Resolving mismatched information between hospitals and nursing homes adds additional burden to nursing home staff.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to characterize challenges facing nursing home staff in receiving and resolving medication discrepancies during resident intake.
Methods:
This study used one focus group comprised of five nurses, one pharmacist and two administrators from four nursing homes to explore the staffs' experiences resolving medication discrepancies at resident intake. Thematic analysis was used to determine primary themes and categories arising from focus group transcripts.
Results:
Three common challenges included 1) Nursing homes relying upon external providers for accurate information that is frequently delayed; 2) Prescribing data shared between hospitals and nursing facilities on incompatible formats with inconsistent content; 3) Following a specific communication workflow between facilities to resolve errors as efficiently as possible.
Conclusions:
Improving access to formularies and medical histories for providers across the continuum of care and improving information sharing across transitions would improve communication, decrease discrepancies and increase patient safety during post-acute care transitions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Barriers to Effective Communication I
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this...
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Communication
Communication
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects

