Guide to medication management

Medication management is a complex area of care with many steps involved and information obtained from different sources. Internal and external healthcare professionals, including medical professionals and aged care home staff, play their roles to help keep residents safe and to make the process from prescription to administration of the medicine as efficient as possible.

It's common for residents in aged care homes to have long-term conditions requiring multiple medications. Every week, care workers spend hours updating, auditing, processing and filing medication admin records. If records aren't fully maintained and updated at all times, staff might not have all the details they need for accurate prescribing, such as the time of the previous dose of the medication or what dosage is prescribed.

Human errors inevitably creep in, whether that’s unrecorded or incorrectly documented administered medications, or missed or incorrect doses. When preventable mistakes happen, the safety and wellbeing of residents are compromised, and operational efficiency and confidence suffer.

To effectively manage medication, care providers look for a streamlined and straightforward approach to medication dispensing. That’s where an electronic medication management system for aged care comes in. When you use an electronic system instead of a manual medication management process, you can enhance efficiency, minimise medication errors, optimise patient safety, boost staff confidence and improve residents’ quality of life.

In this guide, we explain medication management systems and how the right approach and right software can benefit your aged care home.

What is a medication management system?

An electronic medication management system is an automated solution that tracks the entire medication process: From ordering and storage to dispensing, administration, disposal, and electronic medical record-keeping. Electronic medication management offers a way of supporting caregivers and other healthcare professionals as well as the residents themselves.

Using an electronic prescribing system for medication management in aged care homes offers a safe and cost-effective solution for use of medicines in aged care, ensuring residents receive the medication they need, at the right time, and in accordance with patient electronic health records. The use of a digital medication management system offers a range of benefits over manual prescribing systems and reduces preventable adverse medication events by means of electronic medication reconciliation and prescription management.

Historically a manual process, electronic medication management systems are now making waves, supporting aged care homes with a highly effective medication prescribing tool that creates a complete and accurate medication list for residents; the foundation for identifying and addressing medication reconciliation and management issues.

Using an electronic prescribing system in aged care also helps to bring residents, families, and caregivers together, centralizing vital information in one place for patient-centric implementation and care.

Electronic medication management systems are all about reducing medication errors and improving patient safety while minimising manual and time-consuming work. Employing commercial electronic prescribing systems frees up caregivers to spend more quality time with residents, doing things that make a real difference to their quality of life.

Why medication management is important

If a medication-related mistake or preventable adverse medication event occurs, aged care home residents could suffer harmful side effects, organ failure and in the worse cases, death. That's why a rigorous patient safety system must be in place, to help make sure your team administer medicine safely and consistently.

Effective electronic medication management systems improve patient safety by helping to prevent errors from happening in the first place. More than that, with an electronic system you can also save time by eliminating manual steps. This simple but powerful automation helps to streamline processes and reduce costs at your care organisation.

4 benefits of medication management software in aged care

Effective electronic medication management in aged care offers a host of advantages for both care home residents and healthcare professionals, from remote access for doctors and a 360-degree view to enhanced efficiency and a better quality of life for patients.

1. Doctors have remote access to patient medication profiles and prescriptions

Described as a ‘godsend’ by doctors, game-changing electronic medication management systems allow physicians to review and amend medication profiles and prescriptions and update care notes – remotely and based on real-time data using general practitioner desktop systems.

Remote access is possible because physical signatures are no longer required for medication supply, making it easier and quicker for doctors to do their job, without having to leave their surgery or hospital.

2. 360-degree view of each resident

Tech-savvy electronic medication management systems integrate with PCS Care, our clinical care system. And so, when aged care home staff and healthcare professionals document the lifecycle of medication through a management system, that crucial information is then stored in PCS Care.

With records saved in one central location, caregivers can say goodbye to entering data twice. And with information constantly kept up to date, all parties involved can rest assured that errors are minimised, there’s complete visibility, and resident safety is put first.

3. Boosts the efficiency of care staff by automating admin tasks

By implementing an electronic medication management system, various administrative tasks are automated, taking pressure off staff and giving them more time to concentrate on higher-value activities.

Meanwhile, integration between the electronic medication management system and PCS Care is proven to improve the efficiency of caregivers, by storing data in a single location and decreasing administrative manual work.

With an electronic medication management system, care staff can simply view medication that’s due to be administered in a given time period, boosting productivity. Gone are the days of manually sifting through paper-based records – a process that’s error-prone and lengthy.

4. Frees up time for carers to spend with their residents instead of completing documentation

Hours spent on admin and record keeping is time not spent face to face with residents. By using an electronic medication management in aged care, caregivers have more opportunities to interact with residents, improving wellbeing for residents and job satisfaction for staff.

Get started with a leading medication management system

If you’re an aged care home aiming to implement or switch a digital medication management system that integrates with residents' care records, we're here to help. We aim to help providers build their digital ecosystem of care, where every aspect of running the home, village or group integrates with PCS Care, our clinical care system, from medication management to wellbeing and family communications.

Take the next step

If you're investigating electronic medication management systems to implement a new system or switch provider, book a free, no obligation chat with one of our friendly team.

Talk to an expert

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