Any process that ensures that the medications given to and taken by the patient are the same as those prescribed by the health care provider. Medication errors occur frequently when patients suffer new illnesses or when they are admitted to or discharged from health care facilities. Some of these errors may be limited by making certain that patients are educated about new drugs they may need to take and that they understand which of their old drugs must be eliminated from their regimen. The crucial times to reconcile prescribed medications occur at hospital admission, during transfer to and from special care units such as intensive care units, and at hospital discharge.