Following receipt of discharge information, NICE recommends medicines reconciliation in primary care should be undertaken within what time frame?

• A. Within 1 week
• B. Within 24 hours
• C. Within 3 days
• D. Within 1 month

Answer: (A)

Medicines reconciliation is about ensuring the patient's medication list is accurate after discharge by comparing what was prescribed in the hospital with what is currently on the patient’s record in primary care, and with what the patient is actually taking. Once discharge information arrives in general practice, this reconciliation should be completed within seven days.

Doing it within a week helps catch changes made in hospital—such as new medicines, omissions, or dose adjustments—and prevents discrepancies from persisting in GP records and repeat prescriptions. It balances the need for timely safety checks with the realities of primary care workload and information transfer. Reconciliation earlier than seven days is beneficial but not always feasible in routine practice, while waiting much longer increases the risk of adverse drug events due to unresolved discrepancies.