What is one main goal of medication reconciliation?

One main goal of medication reconciliation is to prevent adverse drug events. This process involves reviewing and verifying a patient's medication list during transitions of care, such as hospital admissions, transfers, and discharges. Adverse drug events can occur due to various reasons, including medication errors, omissions, or duplications resulting from miscommunication or lack of accurate information regarding a patient's medication history.

By systematically comparing a patient's current medications with newly prescribed ones and correcting any discrepancies, healthcare providers can minimize the risk of patients experiencing harmful side effects, drug interactions, or therapeutic failures. This careful attention to medication management ensures that patients receive the most effective and safe therapies tailored to their clinical needs.

While increasing prescription volume, enhancing patient satisfaction scores, and reducing healthcare costs can also be relevant healthcare goals, they do not directly address the primary aim of medication reconciliation, which is explicitly focused on safety and the prevention of harmful medication-related incidents.