A hospitalized patient received a medication that was contraindicated based on their home medications.

A contraindicated medication error indicates a failure to identify conflicts between home and hospital medications, a common safety issue addressed through standardized processes.

Option A (Reaching out to the patient's family to discuss medications): Family input may help but is not a systematic prevention method.

Option B (Obtaining a list of the patient's current prescribed medications): Obtaining a list is part of medication reconciliation but incomplete without verification and comparison.

Option C (Using the teach-back method on medication education): Teach-back ensures patient understanding, not prevention of prescribing errors.

Option D (Performing a medication reconciliation upon hospital admission): This is the correct answer. The NAHQ CPHQ study guide states, “Medication reconciliation upon admission compares home and hospital medications to identify and resolve conflicts, preventing errors like contraindicated prescriptions” (Domain 1).

CPHQ Objective Reference: Domain 1: Patient Safety, Objective 1.4, “Implement medication safety processes,” emphasizes reconciliation. The NAHQ study guide notes, “Medication reconciliation is critical to prevent errors” (Domain 1).

Rationale: Medication reconciliation systematically prevents contraindicated errors, aligning with CPHQ’s safety principles.