Aged Care eConnect
Clinical IT in Aged Care Product Trial - Trial of a Medication Management System
Focusing on improved management of the prescribing, reviewing, dispensing and administration of medication for aged care residents, this trial uses a single medication management and decision support IT system – MedChart – by aged care staff, GPs and pharmacists
Clinical IT Links
These links provide further information about activities
These links provide further information about activities
Why the need for a trial?
How the technology is being applied?
Potential benefits
Project evaluation
Consortium members
Amount funded
Outcomes
Why the need for a trial?
Residents in aged care homes tend to take a large number of medications, many with complex medication schedules. As a result they have increased risk of experiencing adverse drug events (ADEs) and disruption to their medication supply due to the disparate locations of the prescribing doctor, the dispensing pharmacist and the home. There is limited research regarding medication management workflows (doctor, pharmacy and home/resident) or on sources of ADEs within the aged care sector, however medication errors can occur during prescribing, order transcription, dispensing, or administration stages. At the time this trial commenced, no system enabled all relevant aged care staff, GPs and Pharmacists to access a single, accurate medication profile for medication management purposes.How the technology is being applied?
With a focus on improving the management of the prescribing, reviewing, dispensing and administration of medication for aged care residents, this project is trialling a single Internet browser-based medication management and decision support IT system. Aged care staff, GPs and Pharmacists have on-line access to the same electronic clinical record for prescribing, pharmacy review and administration of medications. The trial involves one aged care home and associated GPs plus one pharmacy group in the ACT.Potential benefits
Quality of care
Improved resident outcomes due to:- The use of a single electronic medication record by home, GP and pharmacist
- Safer, faster, appropriate medication orders including medication reviews
- Improved communication between home, GPs and pharmacists
- Timely dispensing and supply of medications
- Unambiguous instructions for medication administration
Other
- Review medication related work practices in aged care
- Explore electronic prescription messaging to pharmacy dispensing systems
- Develop an institutional medication record per resident
- Increase the use of decision support tools in aged care
Trial evaluation
An independent evaluator is using test and control groups to explore how a single computerised medication management record can improve resident's quality of care and deliver benefits and efficiencies to the home, pharmacy and associated GPs. The trial will also identify barriers to the broader uptake of such a system within the aged care sector.Consortium members
Goodwin Aged Care Services Inc. (Monash, ACT)The Australian Pharmacy Group
HATRIX Pty. Ltd.
Amount funded
$322,415 (including GST)Outcomes
The outcomes of the product trial are available for download.Top of page
