The Role of the Nurse in the Management of Medicines During Transitional Care: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE: To synthesise knowledge and to explore the role of the nurse in medicines management during transitional care. METHODS: An integrative systematic review was conducted. Electronic databases such as PubMed [including Medline], Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Cinahl from January 2010 to April 2020 were searched. Original qualitative and quantitative studies written in English that focused on the role of the nurse in medicines management during transitional care, which included movement between short-term, long-term, and community healthcare settings were included. RESULTS: The search process led to the retrieval of 10 studies, which were published in English from 2014 to 2020. They focused on the role of the nurse in patients' medicines management during transitional care in various healthcare settings. Given variations in the aims and methods of selected studies, the review findings were presented narratively utilizing three categories developed by the authors. In the first category as ‘medication reconciliation process’ the nurse participated in obtaining medication history, performing medication review, identifying medication discrepancies, joint medication reconciliation and adjustment. The second category as ‘collaboration with other healthcare providers’ highlighted the nurses' role in clarifying medicines' concerns, interdisciplinary communication and consultation, discharge planning and monitoring. In the third category as ‘provision of support to healthcare recipients’, the nurse was responsible for interpersonal communication with patients, education about medicines, and simplification of medication regimens, and symptoms management during transitional care. CONCLUSION: Nurses play a crucial role in the safety of medicines management during transitional care. Therefore, they should be empowered and more involved in medicines management initiatives in the healthcare system. Patient safety and avoidance of medication errors during transitional care require that medicines management becomes a multidisciplinary collaboration with effective communication between healthcare providers.