Medication errors are common and often occur when patients move between healthcare settings.
 
Around half of hospital medication errors occur on admission, transfer and discharge.  Around 30% of these have the potential to cause patient harm.
 
Advanced age and taking several prescription medicines are associated with an increased risk of medication errors on admission.
 
At least one in six patients may have a clinically significant medication discrepancy on transfer within a hospital.  Discrepancies also often occur at discharge and may cause problems in general practice.
 
The process of medication reconciliation can significantly decrease errors.  It involves obtaining, verifying and documenting a list of the patient's current medicines and comparing this list to the medication orders and the patient's condition to identify and resolve any discrepancies.
 
Medication reconciliation is an important element of patient safety.