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| eMAR
latest example of tools that improve monitoring, care Bayfield Manor DOC sees many changes in 25 years Registered staff at Bayfield Manor Nursing and Retirement Home currently spend three nights a month manually creating a new medication record for residents. “It’s a big job because you have to correlate the old sheets with the new sheets and any changes in orders, you have to make sure they’re in the new sheets,” director of care (DOC) Rosemary Connelly explains. However, this laborious, paper-laden task is going to disappear with the introduction of the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) at the Kemptville home. Connelly notes new medication orders are currently faxed in and added into the resident’s record, with the changes then added again to new records started for the month. With eMAR, new orders will automatically pop up on the computer screen “so you reduce the chance of error and reduce paperwork,” Connelly says. This computerized medication record is one of the latest examples of how technology is improving monitoring and care practices. Connelly, who has worked in long-term care for 25 years, has seen many advancements. For example, automated blood pressure cuffs and the use of digital photos and computers for skin and wound assessments provide a “better picture of what’s going on with the resident,” she says. The photos, for example, allow for visual inspection of the wound over time, as opposed to taking measurements of the wound and comparing them. “It’s giving you more information and a better way of managing symptoms,” Connelly says. Using insulin pens for residents with diabetes and pressure mattresses that provide continuous air flow to prevent skin breakdown and treat pressure ulcers, are examples of innovation that “makes it much easier to give care,” Connelly says. Insulin, for example, can be dialled into the pen as opposed to having to draw it from a vial. Advancements also benefit the health and safety of team members and residents. Mechanical lifts, for example, eliminate the need for staff to physically move immobile residents, reducing the risk of injury. If you have feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca |
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