Safety Tips in Long-Term-Care Nursing Home in Medication Admin

Many nursing home residents have to take regularly prescribed medication. Some patients will manage their own medication, but many will receive their prescribed medication from the nursing home staff. Residents frequently stay in nursing homes for long periods of time---for staff, familiarity can breed complacency, and this can lead to mistakes. All steps should be taken to minimize errors, as mistakes in administering medication can have serious consequences.

Policies and Procedures

• All medication administration errors should be analyzed.

  Nursing home staff should follow all appropriate policies and procedures on ordering, administering and disposing of medication. All of these policies and procedures should follow state law and the provisions of all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Many states require a Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP), an annual review where any errors from the previous year are analyzed and improvements implemented.

Training

• Staff training is important and should be ongoing to refresh the minds of the staff as to proper procedures for medication administration. Employers should ensure that all new staff attend a detailed induction program; an important part of this program should relate to the nursing home's systems for dealing with medication. It's also critical that all staff (not just nursing staff) liaise effectively about medication. Physicians, pharmacists and nursing staff should have an open and constructive system of communication where best practices are shared.

Improvements

• The aim of the nursing home staff should be to constantly improve and update practices. Each state has its own specific laws on administration of medication, but all states offer universal precautions on checking patients and their dosage dates and times, as well as on additional requirements on the storage and administration of controlled drugs. New innovations such as electronic prescription processing should be considered, provided this is appropriately reviewed and assessed.