iCare with Purpose: Technological Leaps in Medication Management
Moving away from a paper-based system not only improves the medication management for Catholic Homes’ residents, but also frees up staff time to focus on personalised care.
At Catholic Homes, the key to medication management is the health and safety of our residents, while ensuring we’re compliant with industry standards. With the implementation of the Telstra Health iCare system our existing paper-based medication management practise evolves into a single electronic medication profile and signing sheet for each resident.
The benefits of using iCare in our medication management are numerous. With greater communication between pharmacists and medical practitioners, we’re producing a higher level of care by increasing the level of safety, efficiency and accountability. By moving away from handwritten charts, there is less of a potential for discrepancies and it also becomes possible to send and track messages and order medications online.
As transparency is increased and workflows are streamlined, key clinical information is readily available and reporting tools can be generated for ongoing reviews for the care needs of each resident and for auditing purposes, particularly with the new Aged Care Quality Standards effective as of 1st July 2019. From an organisational perspective, discrepancies can be greatly reduced between the sites and staff, especially during staff movements, which offers a greater peace of mind for our residents and families.
With iCare, it’s estimated that a significant amount of time can be saved during the admissions process and during each medication round, allowing staff to spend more time caring for the residents’ personal needs. Staff have commented how much more comfortable they will feel in the way they can collect data and keep it up-to-date and readily available on one device. Another feature is having the ability to take photos on the device which are added to the residents’ profiles. Communications with families will also be greatly improved and instantaneous as information will be easier to share.
In the upcoming financial year, Catholic Homes will be rolling out iCare across all seven residential sites, starting initially with Castledare Village. An iCare Project Management team has been working hard on establishing the organisation’s needs and the creation of an Implementation Planning Study.
Staff will be trained in the use of the software and mobile devices with as little disruption to daily activities as possible. Once iCare has been implemented ongoing surveys will be used to measure the success in terms of staff usability and the residents’ level of care and satisfaction. Phase Two of the iCare system will include assessments and care plans.
With many aged care providers looking towards technological advances in the level of care they provide, Catholic Homes selected Telstra Health iCare for its usability and adaptability to tailor the system to the needs of those we care for. In turn, a more efficient way of coordinating medication management continues to put our residents at the centre of their care.
