Medication Reconciliation
During the enrollment period into the primary study, a nurse-driven medication reconciliation assessment was completed on all participants. The first step in the medication reconciliation process was the creation of a medication list from the older adult's perspective. Research nurses visited older adults in their homes and asked for a list of medications they were currently taking. This process included examination of the older adult's medication lists from past hospitalizations, discharge medication lists obtained from the home care service agencies, provider-driven medication lists in the older adult's possession, medication bottles, self-report(s), and any other means the older adult identified and utilized to track any and all medications. A complete list that included drug name, route, dosage, and dosing interval was created. The older adult's medication list was sent to the prescribing provider(s) for verification and clarification. A comparison of what medications the older adult was actually taking (self-report), including doses, and frequencies to what was actually documented on the medical record (recorded medications) occurred. Frequently, multiple prescribers were contacted to coordinate a medication list, requiring multiple phone calls and faxes to the prescribers and the participants. Reconciliation was complete when one congruent medication list was obtained.