The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence states that “medicines-related patient safety incidents are more likely when medicines reconciliation (MR) happens more than 24 hours after a person is admitted to an acute setting”[1]. The earlier that MR is completed within the inpatient stay — including stopping incorrect medication or doses being prescribed for the duration of their stay — the safer it is for patients, as it presents an opportunity to rectify discrepancies and clinical issues. Some approved medications are more high-risk (e.g. methotrexate, azathioprine) and complex (e.g. warfarin, lithium); patients themselves are becoming increasingly complex, having multiple comorbidities that often require many medicines to treat them.
