Pharmacy Lab 22

The medication reconciliation process is crucial to medication safety and should be executed with the most attentive care.

True

When are medication errors likely to occur?

During the transfer of care.

If a piece of information on a patient medication list is not known,

it's NOT okay to fill the blank with an educated guess.

Which of the following is a potential barrier to obtaining a complete and accurate medication list from a patient?

A patient who is hospitalized may be too ill to think clearly. The patient may not speak English. The patient may not know all the details about the medication he is taking.

Medication reconciliation is conducted at which point in a patient's care?

Admission, transfer, and discharge.

Which of the following factors might prevent a patient from giving a medication history to the technician?

Age, disability, and language barrier.

Medication reconciliation processes were developed to address a breakdown in:

Communication

What is a challenge involved in taking a medication history?

Dealing with incomplete information, chasing down the rest of the information by calling doctors and pharmacists, and interpreting patients handwriting.

As a pharmacy technician, it is unlikely you will ever have to interview a patient upon admission into the hospital in order to complete their medication reconciliation.

False

It is not very important that you identify the patient to ensure you have the right patient and the right set of patient records, because mix-ups are unlikely.

False

Medication reconciliation does not decrease medication errors.

False

The documentation of medication therapy of a patient should be completed only upon admission into the hospital.

False

Sometimes a patient will be unable to give a thorough medication history, so it may be necessary to gather that information from another source. Which of the following is a likely source of this type of information?

Family member, pharmacy, and prescriber.

Which two organizations have the shared goal to improve safety in hospitals?

ISMP and the Joint Commission

ISMP stands for

Institute for Safe Medication Practices

When preparing to obtain a medication history from a patient, the pharmacy technician identifies the patient using which of the following?

Patient Identification Number

What role can a pharmacy technician play in medication reconciliation?

Pharmacy technicians may interview patients about their medications and transcribe that information into the pharmacy computer system.

Which of the following organizations includes medication reconciliation in its hospital accreditation standards?

The Joint Commission

Who might you contact to fill in gaps in a patient's medication history?

The patient's doctor, the patient's pharmacy, and the patient's next of kin.

As medical science progresses, the management and treatment of disease states grow increasingly simple and increasingly complex.

True

Medication reconciliation can occur meeting face-to-face with the patient as well as with a family member.

True

One of the goals of medication reconciliation is to compile the best possible medication history.

True

When conducting medication reconciliation, you should record the prescribed medications that the patient is taking as well as any over the counter supplements.

True

When doing medication reconciliation, you must respect the dignity and privacy of the patient because you are there to complete a very important step that could help save the patient's life in the long run.

True

Medication reconciliation should be performed

Upon admission to the hospital, upon discharge from the hospital, and as needed during the hospital stay, during transfers between units inside the hospital.