Medication List Obtained at ED Triage Is Often Inaccurate

The Joint Commission is focusing on medication errors as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In a prospective, cross-sectional study, researchers evaluated the accuracy of medication lists obtained at triage for 1797 adult patients who presented to a single urban academic emergency department (ED). Nurses obtained lists from patients at triage as part of usual care. If the patient was unable to provide a list, a prior medication list in the electronic medical record was used if available. Later during the ED visit, trained research associates administered surveys asking patients to verify all prescription and nonprescription medications that they were taking; 92% completed the survey.

Discrepancies between the initial and later lists w…