Improving patient safety through a pharmacist-led medication reconciliation programme in nursing homes for the elderly in Spain.

Background Medication errors frequently occur during transitions of care and may have damaging consequences, especially amongst the elderly. Some studies show that quality improvement initiatives with a focus on medication reconciliation have resulted in better health outcomes and a reduced number of readmissions. Objective The primary objective of this study was to quantify and classify medication reconciliation errors detected by a pharmacist and taking place during transitions of care between nursing homes and the health system.