What is the purpose of medication reconciliation at admission, transfer, and discharge?

• A. To document patient allergies only
• B. To ensure an accurate, complete medication list and prevent omissions, duplications, or interactions
• C. To train nurses in medication administration
• D. To select the most cost-effective meds

Answer: (B)

Medication reconciliation at transitions focuses on accuracy and safety: building and verifying a complete list of every medicine a patient is taking (prescriptions, OTCs, herbal products, and vitamins), then comparing it with current orders to catch and fix discrepancies. This process at admission, during transfers, and at discharge helps prevent omissions (a med the patient is still taking isn’t continued), duplications (same med listed twice or two similar formulations), and potential interactions or contraindications that can arise when a patient’s regimen changes as they move between care settings. It also ensures allergy information is up to date and clarifies which medicines should be continued, stopped, or adjusted, so the patient leaves with an accurate list and clear instructions. The other options are narrower or unrelated to safety during transitions: documenting allergies alone doesn’t address all meds, training nurses is about education, and selecting cost-effective meds isn’t the primary goal of reconciliation.