Electronic documentation in medication reconciliation - a challenge for health care professionals.

Errors in medication care can be lethal; hence in Finland, as in many other countries, increasing attention is being paid to this aspect of patient safety. Previous studies have shown that medication documentation is prone to errors that are due to organisational failures and human error (Hughes & Ortiz, 2005; Mustajoki, 2005; Wagner & Hogan, 1996). Adequate documentation has particular implications for medication reconciliation, which is an important tool for improving patient safety in the hospital environment. Medication reconciliation aims to reduce errors in medication management by compiling accurate medication information for a patient at any point of care. It is applied when a patient is admitted to hospital or transferred to another care unit within or outside the health care organisation (The Joint Commission, 2006, January 25). It is also used when newmedications are prescribed, or when current medication is changed. The electronic patient record (EPR) system has been widely introduced in Finland and is probably the most important factor making for changes in health care (Hamalainen, Reponen, & Winblad, 2007). The EPR has changed the ways in which information is produced and utilized: it is expected to increase access to medication information and to make medication reconciliation more efficient (Hayrinen, Saranto, & Nykanen, 2008). This paper will outline the importance of medication reconciliation when medication information is documented in electronic patient records.