Medication Safety at Transitions of Care: 

A Nursing Perspective on the ACSQHC Framework

More than half of all medication errors occur when patients move between hospitals, primary care, and aged care. The new ACSQHC Stewardship Framework shows us how to make these transitions safer, clearer, and more patient-centred. Join this session to explore what the Framework means for nursing practice, from medication reconciliation to discharge planning, and discover how you can play a key role in reducing harm and improving communication across the health system.
CPD HOURS: 1
 Registration Year 2025/2026

Course Content

The Commission developed this Framework to tackle one of the riskiest points in patient care, the movement of people between settings (e.g. hospital → home, hospital → aged care, or even hospital → GP follow-up).

It recognises that over half of all medication errors occur at transitions of care. These errors often stem from poor communication, missing or unclear documentation, and failure to follow through on medicine changes.

The Framework isn’t about creating a new checklist for nurses and pharmacists to tick off. Instead, it takes a stewardship approach — meaning health services need to build system-level oversight, shared accountability, and continuous improvement into how medication transitions are managed.

It sets out clear governance expectations, team structures, and practical activities that should be part of every organisation’s safety and quality system. There is an addit paper in the CPD file that should be added to the synopsis page.
This synopsis is my interpretation of the article and is not a reproduction of the original text.

Why this Session may be Relevant to your Work

This knowledge is directly relevant to my role as I am often involved in medication histories, discharge planning, and patient education. Understanding the Framework enables me to strengthen safe practices, advocate for system improvements, and align my work with national safety standards.

Learning Outcomes

In this session, you will:
  • Understand why transitions of care are high-risk for medication errors and describe the overall purpose of the Stewardship Framework.
  • Identify the four key elements of the Framework and outline their role in safer medication management.
  • Review how nurses contribute to medication safety across admission, discharge, and post-discharge transitions.
  • Evaluate how applying stewardship principles can reduce harm, improve communication, and strengthen continuity of care.

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Sue Walker

RN, BN, BN (ADMIN), MPHC, MACN
Sue is the director and co-founder of the Nurses for Nurses Network. Sue is a key contributor to the online education platform Nursing CPD – a Continuing Professional Development platform to assist Nurses in meeting their annual CPD requirements.
As a Registered Nurse, Sue holds Degrees in both Nursing and Health Administration, a Master’s Degree in Public Health, and more...