MAR Nursing Chart, Drug Dosage, Medication Label and Other Useful Insights for New Caregivers

In the typical day of a caregiver, as much as one third of the time may be spent recording and maintaining medication records. Additional time is spent reviewing MAR nursing charts or trying to access data about a resident that must be somewhere in the previous MAR nursing charts. To provide quality care, caregivers need access to important data at the right time and at the right place – which is why many care homes in the UK are shifting from MAR charts to Electronic Medicine Administration Record System or eMAR. The electronic medical records software ensures that the medication is administered reliably. It is easy to use and can integrate pharmacy and MAR records. Check this useful read on how eMAR can help care homes ensure safe drug administration.

If you are new to caregiving, here we discuss a few useful insights on safe drug administration. So, keep reading!

1. Safe drug administration starts with a thorough knowledge and understanding of each medication

If you have any doubts/queries regarding medication therapy, resolve them before administering a medication.
Before administering a medication, you must have the following information:

– Route of the medication

– Therapeutic effects of the medication

– Reasons the resident is prescribed the medication

– Normal therapeutic dosage of the medication time

– Understanding the medication label

2. Dosage: The dosage refers to the amount of medicine prescribed for administration. It is determined by the GP after taking into consideration different factors such as age, weight and sex. Other factors that determine the dosage of a medication include:

Physical and emotional condition of patient
The type of disease
Presence of more than one disease
Resident’s medical history and known allergies
Safest medication administration method, route, time, and amount to achieve the desired maximum result

3. Medication label: An understanding of the information provided on the label is essential to safe medication administration. A medication label provides important information to caregivers which include:

the name and address of the manufacturer
the brand name
the generic name
active ingredient
the dosage strength in a given amount of the medication
frequency of administration
the route of administration
precautions and warnings
the expiration date for the medication
inactive ingredients
storage directions
Instructions for mixing

4. Understand the “Rights” of medication administration

– Right Medication –

The medication administered is the medication prescribed

– Right Dose –

Ensure that the dose mentioned is appropriate for the resident
Double-check calculations if you have doubts
Be aware of the usual dosage range of the medication

– Right Time –

Administer the medication at the right frequency and at the right time prescribed

– Right Route –

Always administer the medication by the prescribed route
Before administering the medicine, make sure that the route is safe for the resident

– Right Resident –

Ensure that the medication is given to the intended resident
Before administering the medication, check the resident’s identification band
Know the caregiving facility’s name alert procedure when residents have the same or similar last names

– Right Resident Education –

Educate the resident about the medication – tell them why they are receiving the medication, the intended effects of the medication and precautions.

– Right Documentation

Document medication administration after giving it, not before
If the medication administration time differs from the prescribed time, note the time on the MAR nursing chart. Note the reasons why the medication was given at a different time
If a medication is not administered, follow the caregiving facility’s policy for documenting the reason

– Right to Refuse –

The resident has the right to refuse medication
As a caregiver, you must inform the residents of the potential consequences of drug refusal. Also, inform the resident’s refusal to the general physician.

– Right Evaluation –

You must conduct follow-up after medication administration. Ask the resident questions such as did he/she experience any adverse side effects? Was the desired effect achieved?

If you are looking for more tips on caregiving, you can check this useful read.

Mar Charts in Medication Administration & Other Useful Insights for New Caregivers

Medication administration is a major responsibility for caregiving staff. They need to be skillful at administering medications. Also, they should be aware of the expected effects of the drugs administered and their possible side effects. Here we discuss a few useful insights for new caregivers on medication administration, MAR charts and other important guidelines.

There are certain basic guidelines that caregivers must follow:

Washing hands before and after administering a medication
Always checking the expiration date on the label
Following the “8 Rights of medication administration”
Preparing the medicine and administering it in a well-lit area
Administering medications in an area free from distractions
Checking for allergies before administering any medication
Administering drugs ordered by a licensed physician
Being completely familiar with the drug being administered
Administering only those medications that they have prepared for administration
Not leaving medication ( after it’s prepared for administration) unattended
Being careful while transporting the medication to the resident
Filling medication notes detailing the dose, route and time exactly as administered. If the care facility has implemented eMAR, it becomes easier for the caregiving staff to fill in the details. Also, with eMAR it becomes easy for supervisors to access the medication records anytime they want.

When a medication error occurs, follow these guidelines:

Firstly, recognise that an error has been made
It’s important to stay calm and analyse the patient’s condition. Check for adverse reactions to the medication
Immediately report the error
Document the details of the medication error in the MAR nursing chart or eMAR. These details must be added:

– The type of error

– The resident’s reactions

– Steps taken to correct the error

– Date, time, name of the resident and the name of the person who administered the drug

Caregivers must be aware of risky behaviours when it comes to medication administration:

Don’t hold on to dangerous habits such as using abbreviations, acronyms and symbols in written communications. For instance, handwritten µg on prescriptions can be often mistaken as mg. Or handwritten q.o.d. can be interpreted as every day.
In care home facilities, often the supervisors audit random MAR charts to ensure that confusing abbreviations that can cause overdose or other medication errors are not being used.

When a resident refuses medication, it needs to be properly returned or disposed of:

The caregiving staff has to encourage the resident to take the prescribed medications. However, the resident has the right to refuse it. If a resident refuses to take medication, it must be returned or disposed of. If the medication packed is unopened, the caregiving staff must return it to the dispensing unit. Some drugs when returned require a witness. If the package has been opened, the drug must be disposed of, using special procedures. Note: medications are not disposed of in the sewer system.
It’s important to document the resident’s refusal to take medication. Note the reasons why the resident is refusing to take the medication in the MAR chart or eMAR. Also, if a previously refused medicine is given later, document it with the actual time of administration.

Emar & Healthcare: Check These Useful Insights on Holistic Resident Care

An effective elderly care program is holistic and humanistic. When done properly, a care program lets the caregiving team identify each resident’s individual needs and problems and select interventions that can solve or minimise those problems. Here we discuss a few useful insights on factors that play an important role in delivering quality care that is specifically suited for a resident’s physical and emotional needs.

Care plan: An important part of elderly care is effective care planning. A care plan is like a road map that guides all the involved team members in improving the quality of care and quality of life of older adults. To devise an effective elderly care program, you not only have to consider a resident’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing but also his/her interests, values, religious and cultural background. To ensure that your resident wellness program promotes the concept of whole-person wellness, you must ensure that it focuses on healthy and positive ageing with aerobics, fitness and exercise programs, religious and spiritual events and increased participation in social activities.

A good care plan involves the resident’s inputs – when identifying a resident’s problems and formulating interventions, take inputs from him/her. This will encourage the resident to participate in his/her health care decisions and adhere to the care plan. Also, involving a resident in healthcare decisions gives him/her a greater sense of control – which enhances personal responsibility and makes the resident committed towards attaining health goals.

It is important to note that the care plan needs to be routinely reviewed and updated as the resident’s health status improves or declines. You can hold monthly review meetings to revise the care plan to ensure that the resident is receiving appropriate care.

Team work: Senior care takes several levels of teamwork. Not only must the caregiving team work together, but teams from different areas such as physicians, pharmacists and social workers must collaborate too. When teams work together and collaborate, senior residents benefit from care plans that are well designed and coherent.

Honest and transparent relationships between members of the caregiving staff are important in delivery of quality care. To positively impact resident care, partnership must be created among the resident, physician, social worker, caregiving staff and family members of the resident. As a care home manager, you can create more opportunities for collaboration and communication among different team members through group discussions and collaborative workshops. Also, to promote better collaboration between different teams you must focus on avoiding potential confrontations related to staffing, shifts and medical devices.

Medication administration: It is an important part of the care plan. Any kind of error while administering medicines can be serious. Caregiving staff can avoid medication errors if they follow 8 Rs of proper medication administration and the essential medication guidelines. A medication error occurs when any of the following happen:

When medication is given to the wrong patient
When incorrect drug is administered
When the drug is administered via an incorrect route
When the drug is administered at an incorrect time
When incorrect dose is administered
When wrong medication data is entered on the patient’s MAR chart due to reasons such as miscommunication. As a care home manager, you can take various steps to reduce medication errors at your care home. One of the ways to do so is implementing electronic MAR charts and other technological advancements. There are many benefits of eMAR – and one of them is reduced incidents of miscommunication regarding medication administration among the caregiving team. Electronic MAR charts ensure that all members of the team have access to the same information on medication issued and it is easily accessible on mobile devices. To know how eMAR can help your care home, book a demo today.

How To Motivate Residents In Care Homes?

Often as people age, they feel lost in their lives. Without a sense of purpose, they may feel unmotivated, hopeless or self-critical – which in turn can have an adverse effect on their mental well-being. To help seniors reconnect to things that bring them emotional fulfilment, care homes regularly conduct various senior-friendly activities. However, in many cases, seniors don’t actively participate in these activities. Here’s a quick read for caregivers on motivating the residents to participate in various care home activities and help them regain their sense of purpose.

Start with inviting them

The best way to motivate residents is to invite them to watch the activities instead of asking them to participate right away. This way, they may develop interest in the activities and consider giving them a try. Remember to avoid rushing, it’s best to let them develop the urge to try at their own pace; you can later encourage them to take the final steps. Some residents may have the fear of making a fool of themselves. You can mitigate this fear by demonstrating the activity yourself or inviting another resident to join him/her.

Cater to personal preferences

When forming groups, try choosing like-minded residents. Make sure to gradually introduce them to each other; this especially works for those residents who don’t want to participate in large groups.

Lack of awareness of the benefits of activities

Some residents may not be aware of the benefits of the activities they are asked to participate in. You can take help from doctors to better explain the benefits such as faster recovery/healing and improved breathing.

Fear of incompetence

Some residents, when asked to participate in activities such as scrapbooking and board games, may fear they’ll not be able to keep up with others. To motivate them, you can assist them until they are confident. Another good option is to emphasise that there’s no hurry and that they can complete the tasks at their own pace, even if it means shelving it for the day and completing it the next day.

Engage a family member

If you regularly organise small and simple contests among residents, you can invite family members to attend the events. This can help them gain more confidence and motivate them further.

Paying attention to every resident’s preferences takes time which may not be a feasible option for care professionals who are often busy with repetitive, manual tasks such as manually reviewing MAR sheets at the end of every medication round. As a care home manager, you can help your caregiving staff focus on person-centred care by streamlining medication administration at your care home.

Electronic MAR charts for care homes – know the benefits

eMAR charts can streamline medication administration at your care home and can help carers devote more time to personal care. eMAR also lowers the risks of medication errors and offers easy accessibility. Learn more about the benefits of electronic MAR. If you are still using MAR sheets and want to learn the differences between MAR chart medication and eMAR, check this useful read.

How can Care Homes Improve Quality of Care?

Older people living in care homes often have complex health and care needs. To meet those needs, there are many factors that care homes need to consider. Some of them include offering a range of services centred towards the well-being of the residents and better coordination between the caregiving staff, GP, pharmacy, and other resources. Here we discuss a few of the useful tips that will help care homes actively promote and promote residents’ health and emotional well-being.

1) Encouraging positive transition into the care home for residents:

Quality care starts right from supporting the residents as well as their relatives to help them manage the upheaval associated with moving into the care home. For residents, the thought of staying in a new care home can be filled with different emotions – they can be hopeful, anxious, and even be angry. But there are several ways how care home staff can help new residents settle in their surroundings. For example, on the first day, don’t try to overwhelm the resident with too much information. The staff has to do its best to keep the environment casual and relaxed. Ensure that the resident knows where the daily schedules and the care home guidelines are posted. To make the transition easy, the staff can make small but uplifting improvements to the residents room each day for the first few days. For instance, on the first day, the staff can help the residents unpack. The next day, they can help the residents unpack and display their favourite photos in the room. Here is a useful read on helping residents cope with moving into a care home.

2) Keeping them busy:

One simple way to do this is to encourage them to take an active part in doing simple chores. Activities that aren’t physically and mentally taxing, such as baking, knitting, painting and organising clothes/folding laundry can keep the residents occupied and active. Another good way to improve a resident’s quality of life is to encourage their relatives to regularly visit their loved ones with their favourite treats.

3) Improving medication administration:

Medication errors can be life-threatening. Here is a useful read on medication errors and how they can be prevented. Administering medication using conventional MAR (Medication Administration Record) charts increases the risk of medication errors. Also, care staff members are required to invest plenty of time documenting medication administration when working with MAR charts.

However, by switching to digital medical records such as eMAR (electronic medication administration record), care staff can significantly lower the risk of medication errors as well as save medication documentation time. Unlike conventional MAR charts, eMAR is easy to use. Care staff members can easily record data such as medication documentation as well as view them without any hassle. Learn more about the eMAR medication system and how it can work for your care home.

4) Sharing decision-making

One of the key components of person-centred healthcare is shared decision-making. Shared decision-making in care homes involves care staff working together with residents and their relatives in decision-making on all aspects of care and nursing, such as choosing tests, treatments and care plans, based on clinical reports and residents’ preferences and values.

Shared decision-making can foster positive and transparent communication and engagement. The liberty to choose treatments and care plans can be fulfilling to the residents. Also, by involving residents in decision-making, care staff can effectively maintain their dignity and identity.

Self-Care Tips for Caregivers

As a caregiver, often it’s easy to get caught up with your responsibilities and forget about yourself. Each day brings new challenges as you cope with different residents with different levels of ability and behaviour. Often caregivers themselves are at an increased risk for depression and illness, especially if they do not maintain their own health and well-being. These self-care tips can help you stay healthy and productive, and improve the quality of care you provide:

Be active and maintain a healthy diet

These are the two important steps to maintain a good overall health and stay focused on your work. Be physically active – if you enjoy outdoor activities such as a walk in the park, jogging, running, and swimming, make sure to spend at least 20 minutes every day on such activities.

When it comes to eating healthy, include fresh produce such as fresh and green vegetables (broccoli, gourd, drumstick, papaya, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, capsicum, radish, and sweet potato). Also, avoid excess indulgence in drinks loaded with caffeine and artificial sugar as these produce a let-down effect after the effect of sugar and caffeine wear off.

Maintain a healthy relationship with your co-workers

Having a healthy and positive bonding with your co-workers can benefit you in multiple ways. For example, your co-workers are the best people to help you with a challenging task. Also, a positive relationship between carers fosters transparent communication, which, in turn, can be a major contributing factor in improving the quality of care provided to residents.

Maintain proper sleep routine

Poor sleep routine can have adverse effects on your health as well as impact your punctuality and productivity at work. Make sure to get 7 to 8 hours of proper sleep every day. Maintaining this routine will help you stay energetic and focused during work hours.

Maintain your personal interests and hobbies

When caring for care home residents, it’s easy to lose sight of your personal interests and passion. Although your roles and responsibilities as a concerned carer may keep you busy, it’s important to make a little room for doing the things you love. Whether it is playing your favourite instrument or watching your favourite TV dramas, you’ll have a composed state of mind when you don’t forget about your personal joys.

Talk to your manager

Talking to your manager can help you overcome your personal hurdles at work, such as rearranging/redefining tasks. Also, your manager might be able to put certain measures in place, such as work-life balance management and flexible work hours.

How electronic mar charts can help caregivers?

With electronic medication administration record, caregivers don’t have to manually review every MAR sheet after every medication round. Also, with the eMAR system in place, there will be no problems arising due to illegible notes and also there will be no missed signatures. With simple and easy reporting and audits, Electronic MAR saves the caregiving staff’s time, thus giving them more to spend on person-centred care and on enjoying things that boost their overall well-being.

Mar chart and medication: how care homes can benefit from eMAR?

Learn how eMAR can improve operational efficiency at your care home. Book a demo today.

How to Ensure Person-Centred Care at your Care Home?

It goes without saying that the primary goal of any care home is to provide quality health care services to its residents. And one of the steps to achieve this goal is to provide person-centred care. Person-centred care puts more focus on involving the residents and their family in several decision-making stages associated with their care plan. Here, we have shared some tips to include person-centred care in your care home’s plan:

Plan different activities

One of the ways to provide person-centred care in your care home is to plan different types of activities. Participating in various care home activities such as games, gardening and baking – can help the residents develop a sense of belonging which helps them fight the feeling of loneliness and isolation. Another big benefit of scheduling care home activities is that they help the residents stay physically fit which, in turn, have a positive effect on their overall wellbeing.

Often, it can be challenging for the care home staff to plan meaningful and relevant care home activities, given the workload they have. One effective solution to manage your care staff’s workload and help them take out time for planning care activities is to remove the manual hassles. One particular where you can reduce manual work is the paperwork associated with medication administration. You can replace conventional MAR sheets with eMAR (electronic medication administration record) chart. Electronic MAR helps care staff improve their efficiency by eliminating the paper-related hassles associated with MAR sheets. The software streamlines medication administration and helps the care home staff manage their time in an effective way.You can check how care homes in the UK have benefitted from eMAR.

2) Maintain dignity

Steps such as letting the residents choose their clothes, addressing them properly, and handling situations such as dressing/undressing them with tact – help the care home residents develop a sense of independence and confidence.

3) Taking note of the individual preferences of the residents

Not every care home resident has the same preferences in terms of food and social activities. The care staff should take note of the individual preferences of the residents.

Person-centred care helps create a nurturing and stimulating environment for the care home residents. With fun and rejuvenating therapeutic activities, the care home staff can help the residents to be more physically active and mentally stimulated.

Tips for running a care home facility

Care home managers know what it takes to ensure the quality of care. Without having a proper plan in place, it’s impossible for any care home to follow best practices and ensure the well-being of the residents.

Although the plan of action may differ from one care home to another, there are factors, which if met, can help care workers ensure better care in any type of care home.

Implementing some of these practices can make caring processes more efficient and effective:

1) Managing transitions

For most patients and their families, moving into a care home can be distressing. New residents and their families need a great deal of support to help them adjust with their new situation and surroundings. One good practice to ensure smooth transition to the care home is to arrange trail visits (if possible). Staff members can also visit the potential resident’s home prior to the move to better manage the transition.

Also, when welcoming new residents, it’s a must for the care home staff to know the reasons for the move.

2) Maintaining dignity and their sense of identity

Maintaining dignity in care and helping the residents maintain their identity are important elements of quality care. It’s a good practice to involve the residents in decisions relating to their care. Other aspects such as letting the residents choose their own clothing, addressing them properly and respecting their privacy and possessions are some important factors to consider to promote dignity in your care home. Also, residents may enjoy certain pastimes. Whether it is painting, scrapbooking, sewing or photography, hobbies can help residents maintain their sense of identity. They can enjoy these hobbies with other like-minded residents and make new friends.

3) Improving health

Proper nutrition and medication administration build the foundation of good health for residents in care homes. To tackle under-nutrition of residents, it helps to make mealtimes a positive experience. Spending time with the residents during their mealtime and rewarding them with small treats after completion of their meal can help. Here are some useful meal planning tips for caregivers.

Medication administration, on the other hand, requires a great deal of thoroughness. One of the greatest pitfalls in administering medication is the risk of making human errors which can result in medication errors. Conventional medication administration record sheets (MAR sheets) require great scrutiny and time. More care homes are now switching to electronic MAR or eMAR charts as the system automates medication administration and helps care homes streamline processes and lower the risk of medication errors. To learn how electronic MAR can benefit your care home, book a demo today.

4) Keep the workforce fit and encourage learning

Skilled and healthy workforce promote improved quality of care for residents. It’s important to give care workers day-offs and establish healthy work timings and hours. Also, provide training to the caregiving staff to help them improve the quality of care provided at your facility. From promoting time management and communication skills to safe medication administration skills, support your care giving staff in different ways.

How to pick the right electronic medication system for your care home?

Medical compliance, reduced paperwork, real-time access to information and instant collaborations are some of the many benefits of using an electronic medication system such as eMAR. In today’s digital world, there are different software and technologies offering great services to care homes and it can be a bit overwhelming to choose the right one. Here we discuss things that you must consider to ensure that the system you choose fits your needs best:

Assess your needs: The first essential step in choosing an electronic medication system is to determine your needs. Factor in your practice speciality and the size of care home. Do take into account your future needs especially if your care home is planning to scale up. All care homes share similarities but they do not function the same way. For instance, a care home for dementia patients will differ from a care home for elderly care when it comes to certain practices. Identify your needs and match them to the features offered by the electronic medication system.

Note: electronic MAR charts templates and features can be customised to suit your particular practice, making it easier for your organisation to adapt.

Understand all the features: Reviewing the features of an eMAR medication system is important. While reviewing the features, check whether it offers all the essential features that your organisation needs for proper records management. A good electronic MAR chart medication system offers auto-reminders, real-time record-keeping and tracking, simple and easy reporting, auditing records and taking notes. Task management features, such as signing notes and reviews promote effective communication among different team members. This streamlined workflow reduces the chance of errors occurring due to miscommunication.
Check accessibility: Choose a software that is compatible with the devices provided to your caregiving staff. eMAR allows easy accessibility. The software is compatible with android devices. The user-friendly interface can be accessed using Android tablets as well as smartphones.
Authorised access: For instance, while the management can access all the data of residents, caregiving staff can only have access to information related to care plans.
Request a demo: The best way to know if an electronic medication administration system suits your organisation or not is to request a demo. Involve your team members, especially the caregiving staff who will be using the software daily to be part of the demo. Take reviews from your team members before you give the vendor a go-ahead. You can book our demo remotely at a time that is convenient to you.
Post-sales support: If you’re thinking about using an electronic medication system in a care home, you must be wondering about the training your caregiving staff will need to get well-acquainted with the system. We can set up training sessions that can be conducted remotely for you. For a small monthly fee, you will get all training, both initial and ongoing, support, future updates and secure backup with access to previous MAR sheets.

How does eMAR help care home staff work efficiently?

Implementing eMAR (electronic medication administration record) is undoubtedly one of the most important investments that care homes can make. The digital medical records-keeping system is a cost-effective solution to eliminate several paper-based hassles inherent in care homes. By implementing electronic MAR sheet medication administration, care homes can significantly lower the risks of medication errors which, otherwise, can bring down patient health as well as lower the overall quality of care.

Here are some of the ways how electronic MAR can help care staff work efficiently:

Improvement in work flow

When it comes to managing medication administration using conventional MAR sheets, there are numerous tasks such as transcribing prescriptions, documenting medication administration and properly storing medication record sheets. Such tasks have higher risks of human errors which, in turn, can translate to medication errors. However, electronic MAR helps care staff steer clear of such paper-based hassles. Whether it’s for everyday tasks or end-of-period calculations, electronic MAR automates processes which, in turn, can help the staff focus on person-centred care.

Enhanced access of view

Electronic MAR creates centralised electronic medication administration records. The staff members and superiors can easily view the electronic medication records. This makes it easy for the care staff to efficiently perform peer-to-peer reviewing which is important to reduce the risks of medication errors. Also, managers can easily get an overview of the medication administration activities in real time.

A compatible and reliable app

Electronic MAR is compatible with Android tablets and mobile. The digital medical record-keeping system has a simple user interface and therefore is easy to use. Also, care staff do not have to risk losing documented medication records when using electronic MAR as the system has a secure data backup.

Very similar to conventional paper-based MAR sheets

Care staff need little to no training to use electronic MAR. This is because the electronic medication administration record templates of the system look similar to paper-based MAR sheets. Therefore, new care staff members don’t have to invest much time to learn using the system. We can train your care staff remotely on our system in 10 minutes and manager training takes an hour. Book a demo today and learn how your care home can reap a myriad of benefits from the system.

Tips for Alzheimer’s care: useful insights for caregivers

Caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s can be quite daunting. However, if you approach this role equipped with knowledge and flexibility you are likely to improve the quality of your relationship with the person you are caring for. People suffering from Alzheimer’s can often be upset or withdrawn and may have mood swings which can make caregiving difficult. Educating yourself about the symptoms can be one of the best ways to understand the challenges that you may face in your job. Here are some tips that will enhance your ability to handle the difficult behaviour that you may encounter as you care for a person with Alzheimer’s:

Stick to daily routines: People in the early stages of the disease are independent. Having a routine helps them have a sense of control over their lives. Involve them in daily tasks like dressing up, brushing and bathing. To reduce the chances of them forgetting to do the task, gently remind them with visual cues like indicating towards the shirt the patient is supposed to wear and assist only when he/she is no longer able to accomplish the task. Doing this on a daily basis will require a lot of patience and flexibility.
Limit distractions: Limiting noises from TV and radio can help you communicate better with the residents. Address them with their names and use nonverbal cues to keep them focused. Labelling cupboards with words and pictures can help them navigate their own way while doing simple tasks.
Talk in simple language: While talking to residents, make sure you don’t raise your voice. Repeat a sentence or a word, if they don’t understand you. Use a different word, if they don’t get you even after repeating. Instead of asking too many questions, ask one simple question at a time. Questions that can be answered in yes or no or one word work best.
Be flexible: What may work today may not work tomorrow. Instead of controlling the person’s behaviour, try to be more accommodative. If they want to clean their cupboard, then let them do it. It may help satisfy their need to be busy and productive.
Memory games and fun activities: Introducing the residents to activities like colouring, painting, listening to music, playing rhythm instruments, singing songs and solving jigsaw puzzles with large pieces can improve their psychological well-being.

How can electronic MAR charts help caregivers offer proper care?

To help the caregivers focus on more personalised care, you can implement eMAR to remove the hassles of paperwork associated with MAR charts and medication record keeping. Here is a useful read on how eMAR can add efficiency, flexibility and accuracy to the medication administration process.

Common Errors that New Nurses Make

Medication errors are a problem in the UK, as they are in other countries. They occur due to many reasons – from lack of knowledge and training to workload and time pressures. There are many types of medical errors and they can occur anywhere in the system – from pharmacies and hospitals to care homes. If you are a new nurse, here are some common errors that you should steer clear of:

Addressing the patient using the wrong name: Though this may seem like a harmless mistake, it can be dangerous in some cases. Addressing a patient with the wrong name while talking to him or her in itself is not harmful. But when it comes to giving medication, using the wrong may lead to confusion and you may end up giving the wrong medications. To avoid this mistake, you should always cross-check the name on eMAR charts or paper MAR charts before administering a medication. Even if you are aware of who the patient is, make it a point always to ask and verify.
Updating the doctor without complete information: While attending patients day in and day out, it may seem that you know everything about their medical health. However, while updating a doctor it is always important to keep the patent’s MAR charts and other important documents handy. Before the doctor’s call, be prepared with your findings so that you do not miss out on crucial information about the patient’s health.
Committing a medication error: Forgetting to administer a dose or giving the right medication but in the wrong quantity, or administering medication incorrectly are some of the common medication errors nurses make. An effective way to avoid such mistakes is to strictly adhere to the 8 Rs of medication administration:

Right patient
Right medication
Right dose
Right route
Right time
Right documentation
Right response
Right to refuse

Not reporting the medication error: If you are a new nurse who has committed a medication error, it is best to own it up and take the responsibility of informing the healthcare team or the doctor concerned. New nurses often try to cover up medication errors fearing poor perception by peers and seniors. You must remember that patient safety is your first priority and reporting and documenting a medication error can ensure that the patient gets immediate medical help, if needed.
Not asking questions: Nursing is a complex job where you will learn new things every day. However, it is important that you do not feel intimidated or overwhelmed and ask questions whenever you are in doubt. Making assumptions may comprise patient safety. For instance, if you have to administer medicine but you do not know how to, it is best to seek help and do it under the supervision of a senior nurse.

Benefits of eMAR charts in medication administration – how it improves medication safety?

Medication administration in nursing homes involves numerous processes and errors can occur anywhere. With the eMAR nursing chart, nursing homes can reduce the risk of medication errors through a streamlined medication administration. From alerting nurses when the next dose is due to instantly checking the patient’s recorded medical information, the use of eMAR charts in medication administration has many benefits. To know how eMAR can benefit residential and supported living environments, book a demo today.