HealthMEDX

How to Become More Effecient Using eMar/eTar

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A typical medication pass in Long Term Care usually exceeds 2 hours.¹   Nursing home residents take an average of 8.8 medications per day, and 32% take 9 or more medications.²

If a medication nurse is caring for an average of 30 residents and conducting two medication passes there is a potential to deliver and administer up to 400 medications per shift.  Reducing the amount of time that a nurse requires to pass meds will conversely increase the amount of time that can be spent with a resident.  The more time that is spent with a resident, the earlier problems and concerns are identified and appropriate interventions can be implemented. 

How can medication nurses reduce time to pass meds?  They can do so by looking for a solution that provides the following:

1. Ability to easily access information
2. Easily train staff and agency staff to utilize
3. Identify date/time and meds and treatments due by Resident for a Time Frame such as First Shift
4. Easily read with no illegible handwriting
5. Easily identify what meds and treatments are Scheduled, Due or Past Due
6. Minimal ‘clicks’ to document administration of meds and treatments
7. Automatically remind staff of PRN follow ups
8. View upcoming medications and treatments
9. Administrations documented on a MAR should store in the electronic record
10. Real time documentation of meds and treatments

Order Management or eMAR/eTAR should be designed to reduce the amount of time required for med passes.  Nurse Managers are often the first to appreciate the ramifications of improved safety measures at the bedside, and are the first to recommend point-of-care technology for medication administration.   If nursing finds a system with a device that they find effective and easy to use while allowing for more time with residents, they will become one of the most vocal champions for implementation.³

Tools like the HealthMEDX Vision eMAR/eTAR solution provide an easy to use point of care collection and administration method.  While decreasing the amount of time required for a med pass and having an effective and easy to use point of care system is paramount in choosing and implementing an eMAR/eTAR solution, HealthMEDX Vision can deliver so much more in addition.