Renewed focus on medication management

The Department of Health and Aged Care has updated the national guiding principles for medication management for residential aged care facilities and community health care.

“As we age, our medication needs increase, making medication safety increasingly important,” said BESTMED CEO Phil Offer.

“The focus on medication safety for aging Australians as they move from residential aged care facilities, community and hospital is vital in ensuring a smooth transition and reducing the risk of medication incidents,” Offer said.

The guiding principles for medication management in residential aged care were last updated in February 2020, and since then there have been substantial changes to medication management including the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the rollout of the Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) and available grant funding.

“We have seen significant steps taken in improving medication management in residential aged care, and these documents highlight the importance of a connected healthcare system to ensure continuity of care,” Offer said.

A timely and accurate handover of medication notes and continued supply of medication is important at transition points in a person’s care, Offer said.

“We have seen the department take large steps in improving the safety of medication management and coupled with the rise of integrations through Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) to improve interoperability between systems, medication continuity for consumers as they move through care is greatly improving,” Offer said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Eva-Katalin