Patients often have problems after they leave the hospital, in part because errors are made in the medications they are prescribed. The goal of this project is to develop a more accurate and safe medication prescription process when patients enter and leave the hospital and implement this process at six U.S. hospitals. The investigators will measure the success of the project and develop lessons learned so this process can be applied to other hospitals.

Unintentional medication discrepancies during transitions in care (such as hospitalization and subsequent discharge) are very common and represent a major threat to patient safety. One solution to this problem is medication reconciliation. In response to Joint Commission requirements, most hospitals have developed medication reconciliation processes, but some have been more successful than others, and there are reports of pro-forma compliance without substantial improvements in patient safety. There is now collective experience about effective approaches to medication reconciliation, but these have yet to be consolidated, evaluated rigorously, and disseminated effectively.

This project's findings should provide valuable lessons to all hospitals regarding the best ways to design and implement medication reconciliation interventions to improve medication safety during transitions in care.

SPECIFIC AIMS:

Aim 1: Develop a toolkit consolidating the best practice recommendations for medication reconciliation

Aim 2: Conduct a multi-center mentored quality improvement project in which each site adapts the tools for its own environment and implements them

Aim 3: Assess the effects of a mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement intervention on unintentional medication discrepancies with potential for patient harm

Aim 4: Conduct rigorous program evaluation to determine the most important components of a medication reconciliation program and how best to implement it

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 and over
• Admitted to inpatient medical or surgical services

Exclusion Criteria:

• Vulnerable populations (pregnant women, prisoners, institutionalized individuals)
• Under 18 years

Hospital staff subjects:

• Personnel directly involved in the medication reconciliation process, which depending on the site might include residents, physician assistants, inpatient attending physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.