[Medication reconciliation: Interests and limits].

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Pharmacy

Context:

• Hospital admission is a critical juncture for medication management continuity.
• Medication reconciliation aims to detect and resolve medication history inaccuracies.
• Implementation aligns with French National Authority for Health (HAS) recommendations and CAQES contract.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of medication reconciliation in identifying medication errors.
• To assess the impact of medication reconciliation on clinical outcomes and healthcare economics.
• To explore strategies for optimizing resource allocation in medication reconciliation.

Summary:

• Medication reconciliation effectively identifies medication errors with significant clinical impact.
• Despite error detection, the practice shows limited impact on reducing hospitalization length and readmission rates.
• Limited human resources necessitate patient prioritization for this time-intensive task.

Impact:

• Enhances patient safety by intercepting potentially harmful medication errors.
• Highlights the need for further research into medico-economic aspects and patient outcomes.
• Suggests a shift towards prioritizing high-risk patients for medication reconciliation to ensure sustainability.