Key points
- Write every medicine with its strength, dose, reason and prescriber, include supplements, and update the list at every change.
- At hospital admission, between 10% and 61% of patients in a CMAJ review had at least one medicine left off their history.1
- WHO's Medication Without Harm challenge aims to reduce severe avoidable medication-related harm by 50%, with transitions of care among its priority areas.3
- A wai Profile keeps prescriptions on the same timeline as your results and letters, shared only with the clinicians you choose.6
Summary
Keep one written list of every medicine you take, with its strength, dose, reason and prescriber, include vitamins and supplements, and update it at every change. Show it to every clinician and pharmacist, so each one starts from what you actually take.
Every clinician who sees you starts from what you actually take, because the list is already in your bag. Here is what belongs on it and how to share it.
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Request a demoSee your prescriptions on one timeline with your results and letters, ready to share with any clinician you choose.
| Field | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine name | The name on the box or label, brand and generic if both are shown | Prevents the same medicine being taken twice under two names |
| Strength and form | Tablet, inhaler, cream or injection, with the strength | A different strength changes the dose |
| Dose and timing | How you actually take it, and when | Shows any gap between the label and real use |
| Reason | The condition it was prescribed for | Helps a clinician spot a medicine that is no longer needed |
| Prescriber | The clinician and clinic | Tells the next clinician whom to ask |
| Start and stop dates | When it began, changed or ended | Builds the prescription history |
| Non-prescription items | Pharmacy medicines, vitamins, supplements and herbal products | These are easy to leave off a history |
| Allergies and reactions | The medicine, what happened and when | Prevents the same reaction twice |
How often medication histories are wrong
A systematic review in CMAJ of 22 studies covering 3,755 patients found errors in prescription medication histories at hospital admission in up to 67% of cases. Between 10% and 61% of patients had at least one medicine left off, and between 13% and 22% had a medicine added that they were not taking.1
In the six studies that assessed it, investigators judged 11% to 59% of these errors clinically important, and the authors pointed to closer teamwork that includes patients as one way to reduce them.1
Medication safety at scale
A BMC Medicine meta-analysis of 81 studies and 285,687 patients estimated that around one in 30 patients is exposed to preventable medication harm, and that more than a quarter of that harm is severe or life-threatening.2 Prescribing and monitoring were the stages with the highest rates.2
WHO puts the global cost of medication errors at 42 billion US dollars a year, and its Medication Without Harm challenge aims to reduce severe avoidable medication-related harm by 50%.3
Medication reconciliation
When care changes hands, a clinician compares the medicines you take with those on the record and resolves every difference. WHO has published a technical report on medication safety in transitions of care as part of the same challenge.4
Your list gives the clinician the best evidence to work from, especially for doses as actually taken and medicines bought without a prescription.
What belongs on the list
For each medicine, write the name, strength, dose, when you take it, why it was prescribed and who prescribed it. Include pharmacy medicines, vitamins, supplements, herbal products, inhalers, creams, eye drops and injections.
Add allergies with what happened, medicines you have stopped and why, and the date of each change. Over time the list becomes a prescription history that shows patterns over years.
Sharing it with clinicians
Bring the list to every appointment and admission, and show it at the pharmacy when something new is added. WHO's 5 Moments for Medication Safety tool focuses on the moments where action by a patient or caregiver can reduce the risk of harm.5
Ask the clinician to check the list against their record and tell you what changed, then update your copy before you leave. After a hospital stay, compare the discharge letter with your list the same day.
A medication history on your own record
A wai Profile holds prescriptions on one timeline with your medical history and clinic letters, so each change sits beside the visit that caused it.6 Ask about a medication and you get an evidence-based answer in the context of your own record, with citations and a clear line when it is time to see your clinician.6
Every sharing permission is explicit and revocable, so a new clinician sees your history when you choose.6 Decisions to start, stop or change a medicine stay with your prescriber. Profiles are open now at wai Profile set-up, and bringing records from several clinics together is covered in how to combine health records from different clinics.
Where to start
Tonight, gather every medicine in the house, including the bathroom cabinet and the bag you carry, and write each one down with its strength and how you actually take it.
At your next appointment, ask the clinician to check the list, then keep it current from that day on. Never stop or change a medicine because of the list alone, and if you think you are having a serious reaction, call your local emergency number. From then on, every clinician starts from an accurate picture.
Set up your wai Profile and keep your prescriptions on the same timeline as your results and letters.
Frequently asked questions
What is medication reconciliation?
The check a clinician makes when care changes hands, comparing the medicines you take with those on the record and resolving every difference. WHO treats transitions of care as a priority for medication safety.4
Should I include vitamins and supplements?
Yes. Include pharmacy medicines, vitamins, supplements and herbal products as well as prescriptions, and tell the clinician about them before any new medicine is started.
How often should I update my list?
At every change, and check it with a clinician at each appointment and after any hospital stay.
Why does the hospital ask about medicines my doctor already knows?
Records do not always travel with you. A systematic review found errors in prescription medication histories at hospital admission in up to 67% of cases.1
Can wai change my medication?
No. A wai Profile keeps your prescriptions on your record and explains them with citations, with a clear line to your clinician.6 Decisions about starting, stopping or changing a medicine stay with your prescriber.
Who should see my list?
Every clinician and pharmacist who treats you, and a family member or carer if you choose to share it.
Sources
- 1CMAJ, Tam and colleagues, 2005Frequency, type and clinical importance of medication history errors at admission to hospital, a systematic reviewRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 2BMC Medicine, Hodkinson and colleagues, 2020Preventable medication harm across health care settings, a systematic review and meta-analysisRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3World Health OrganizationMedication Without HarmRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 4World Health Organization, 2019Medication safety in transitions of care, technical reportRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5World Health Organization, 20195 moments for medication safetyRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 6wai, 2026wai Profiles, a personal health record for every patientRead 14 October 2026Read source
Every clinician starts from what you actually take.
Set up your wai Profile, open now, to keep prescriptions beside your results on one timeline and share them with a clinician when you choose.
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