Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) Medication Reconciliation Technology Requires a Shared Understanding of Its Value Among Healthcare Providers
Author URLs
Document Type
Editorial
Publication Date
2021
Subject: LCSH
Medical records--Data processing, Health care reform, Medication errors--Prevention
Abstract
Recent efforts to reform the healthcare delivery system have focused on improving patient safety during transitions of care, when patients move between healthcare providers and settings as their conditions change during the course of an illness (1-5). Medication errors, which represent the most common patient safety error during care transitions (e.g., admission, transfer, and discharge), are estimated
to harm 1.5 million people and cost at least $3.5 billion per year. Adverse drug events are also estimated to affect approximately 2 million hospital stays per year and prolong the length of stay by 1.7–4.6 days (6,7). Transitions of care pose a higher risk for medication errors due to greater potential for communication breakdowns regarding patient medications between healthcare settings. Over 40 percent of medication errors are known to result from inadequate reconciliation of patient medications during transitions of care. In other words, many of these errors could be averted if consistent medication reconciliation (MedRec) processes were in place (5-7).
DOI
10.21037/prpm-21-25
Repository Citation
Rangachari P. Meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) medication reconciliation technology requires a shared understanding of its value among healthcare providers. Pharmacogenomics Res Per Med 2021
Publisher Citation
Rangachari P. Meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) medication reconciliation technology requires a shared understanding of its value among healthcare providers. Pharmacogenomics Res Per Med 2021
Comments
Editorial published in the journal, Pharmacogenomics Research and Personalized Medicine.