In assisted living, medication management is one of the most important workflows your team runs every day. At least 90% of older adults take at least one prescription medication daily, and 36% regularly take at least five. The more prescriptions a resident has to take, the more complex the schedule can be, increasing the risks of mistakes.
That complexity is exactly why communities move from paper to an electronic medication administration record (eMAR).
Many assisted living communities offer medication management as one of their core services, helping residents take their medications correctly. It’s one of the most commonly cited reasons for moving to assisted living in the first place. However, traditional paper medication administration records can be cumbersome. They’re time-consuming to maintain and can be harder to audit or keep up to date. An eMAR software solution can streamline and simplify the process, greatly improving medication management and your community’s quality of care.
An eMAR (electronic medication administration record) is the digital version of a medication administration record, used to document med passes, track schedules, and keep medication lists up to date. It helps to streamline and automate workflows, saving valuable time and mitigating mistakes.
Example: instead of chasing down a binder or deciphering handwriting, staff can see exactly what’s due, what was given, what was missed, and why. You can find all of this right in the resident’s record. That helps the whole team stay consistent across shifts.
A senior living eMAR solution works with your electronic health record (EHR) system, supplementing assessments and resident care plans with essential medication management details. It gives your community complete, comprehensive pictures of your residents’ health and well-being in one centralized location.
So care teams don’t have to piece together the story across systems and shifts.
Medication errors do occur in long-term care—often during the medication administration process—especially when information is incomplete or hard to verify. eMAR healthcare software keeps all medication documentation for each resident continuously up to date. This ensures that your staff always has the most recent information about the medications they need to provide. Typewritten notes from physicians and caregivers, which become available immediately, reduce confusion due to illegible handwriting. You decrease the risk of medication dosing and administration errors and increase resident safety.
So you spend less time correcting documentation—and more time preventing issues.
An eMAR system reduces the need for redundant data entry and automates many of your current processes. It provides a clear layout of a resident’s medications and instructions for administration. Caregivers can quickly check off which ones they provided and leave notes if necessary rather than spend time filling out paper forms. Additionally, an electronic system eliminates manual month-end MAR reconciliation. Your staff saves valuable time, allowing them to focus more of their attention on the care of your residents.
So med passes run smoother without cutting corners.
An eMAR that integrates with your assisted living community’s preferred pharmacy improves communication. It provides a direct link, allowing your staff to request medication orders and refills digitally. Pharmacists can then deliver those orders within the same system, ensuring each resident’s medication list is accurate and up to date.
So you’re not relying on phone calls, sticky notes, or end-of-shift handoffs.
With automatic recordkeeping, state-based assessments, and centralized healthcare data, the best eMAR software makes it easy to remain compliant. You can generate reports quickly, too, so you’re always audit-ready.
So when you need an answer, you can pull it quickly and confidently.
What Features Should You Look for in eMAR Software?
Not all eMAR software systems are the same. When looking for a solution for your assisted living community, be sure to look for the following features:
Nurses and caregivers — those who assist residents with their medications — will likely be the ones using eMAR software the most. However, everyone involved in the care of your residents will use it, too. Physicians can use it to place medication orders and provide dosing and administration instructions for caregivers. Even your administrative staff may use it when you need to pull reports.
eMAR software like Eldermark’s integrates with your electronic health record system and other software solutions, providing a complete picture of your residents’ well-being in one location. That way, there’s no need to navigate between applications. All information is centrally available in real-time, giving your staff access to the most up-to-date information when and where they need it.
Do you still have questions about eMAR software? We’ve got answers:
With Eldermark’s eMAR software, you can streamline and automate workflows across your assisted living community, allowing your staff to work more efficiently and improve resident safety and satisfaction. With a complete picture of each resident’s needs in one central location, you can reduce the risk of medication errors and provide better quality care.
If you’re evaluating eMAR options for your assisted living community, a quick demo can help you see how it would work with your current workflow.