Revolutionary new platform to improve medication safety in aged care
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Macquarie University has received a grant to develop a digital platform that will improve medication safety for residential aged care residents by allowing pharmacists to conduct faster and easier medication reviews.
A $1.5 million grant has been awarded to Macquarie University from the latest round of Medical Research Future Fund grants to develop a new digital portal that will improve medication safety in residential aged care that will be led by Dr Karla Seaman and Dr Magda Raban at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation.
The team’s objective is to create a one-stop platform that will facilitate faster and easier medication reviews by pharmacists, allowing all stakeholders, including pharmacists, GPs, residents, their carers and aged care staff, to monitor the medication review process. This digital portal is intended to address the increased risk of harm from medication errors that aged care residents face, with each resident experiencing on average three to four medication-related problems.
“Involving all stakeholders more routinely in the review of medication, and having the review recommendations followed, is a very effective way of improving care for residents,” explained Dr Seaman, the lead investigator of the project.
The project is expected to design, deliver and evaluate an innovative electronic medication management review (eMMR)-portal that can identify residents at increased risk of poor outcomes due to medication-related problems. It will also provide a transparent communication process by which medication review requests, recommendations, actions, and outcomes can be monitored by pharmacists, GPs, residents and carers and residential aged care staff.
According to Dr Raban, “This integrated approach will make optimal use of medication reviews for the safer use of medicines in residential aged care.”
The eMMR-portal will reduce the burden on residential aged care staff by enabling real-time communication between them and the pharmacist, GP, resident and their carers, Dr Seaman said.
The multidisciplinary team, led by Macquarie University, will include pharmacists, researchers, nurses and general practitioners. Project partners include Best Health Solutions, Heritage Care, Aged Care Industry IT Council, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Consumers Health Forum of Australia.
The grant is from the Medical Research Future Fund – Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative – 2022 Quality, Safety and Effectiveness of Medicine Use and Medicine Intervention by Pharmacists Grant.
As the ageing population grows, this digital portal will have significant impacts on improving medication safety in residential aged care, making it a significant contribution to the health and well-being of seniors.
Source: Macquarie University.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
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