Medication management is a very important aspect of helping seniors get the care they need. But the process can be complex. It involves prescribing medication, order communication, transmission, and verification, and dispensing and administration. Among these steps, errors can arise.
For someone dependent on specific doses of medications, mistakes could mean potentially harmful health repercussions. Today, technology is playing an increasingly important role in the process to manage medications in a senior care setting. Below we’ll talk about what medication management technology is and how it can make medication management more efficient.
What Is Medication Management Technology?
There has become increased reliance on medication management technology to make it easier for people to get their medication in senior care settings.
The Institute on Aging defines it in this way:
“Medication management technology is a crucial part of the health technology revolution. It is one of the more important components of aging in place because it minimizes the danger of messing up medications.”
Inherent Issues With Medication Management
If you are reliant on taking medication daily, there are inherent issues with managing it. What if you miss a dose? What if you take too much? Can you take certain medications with others? Are there certain foods you should avoid? Managing your medication as outlined by your pharmacy can get confusing. Doing this for dozen or hundreds of seniors at a care facility can exponentially make things more challenging for caregivers.
How Medication Management Technology Helps
Through the use of Smartphone apps and software programs, caregivers can stay on top of medication management. These programs allow care homes to manage all their senior’s medication needs individually and collectively. It can help with:
- Scheduling: Providing alerts for when medications are to be taken
- Dosage: A clear outline of the dosages to be taken
- Consultation: The ability to consult a pharmacist or doctor in real-time to get answers to your questions about the medication or dosing.
- Education and background: You have access to medication histories so you’ll be able to check if certain medications can be taken with others. This will help you verify before administering doses.
- Medication management technology is only going to evolve, become more intuitive and become an even more valuable resource for caregivers in the future.
How Silver Fox Uses Technology To Manage Medications And Work With Healthcare Teams
At Silver Fox Pharmacy, we use a variety of technologies to make it easier for senior care teams. They include:
- Integrated eMAR: We work with various eMAR solutions, including PointClickCare, MED ecare and Yardi, and support the system that best meets each of our home’s needs.
- Computerized Physician Order Entry: We offer the most advanced electronic prescribing tool which enhances communication between healthcare team members, and greater compliance through electronic documentation of orders.
We also offer education and consultant services to health providers to make it easier to use technology to manage medication in a senior care setting.
