The Medication tab is where you manage your clients' full list of medications, required doses, routes, timings, instructions, indications and stock management. The medications for each client is visible to your carers right in their app.The Medication tab has an "Active" list and a "Past Medication" list.
Any medications with an end date will automatically move to the "Past Medication" list, which helps keep your active list simple and clear.
Medicine database maintenance
To ensure you build a reliable electronic Medication Administration Record, (eMAR), for all clients, prepare your Medicines database with the correct medication, in the correct form and route. For example, if a medication is usually in tablet or effervescent form and normally associated with oral administration, if it is required to be administered via a gastrointestinal tube, the medication needs to be set up separately for this specific route of administration.
How to Add Medications to a Profile
Select the service user profile where you need to add medication
Open the tab Medication
Choose 'Add medication'
Search your list of available medications from you Medication database
Set the start date If you are using the eMAR, the medication won't display as "active" until the start date has been reached
Set an end date if appropriate
Enter the required administration frequency
Set the dose
Record any dosage instructions if required
Record the indication if required
Add additional instructions if required
Add a file attachment such as the patient information leaflet from the package or body map if required
Start medication stock management tracking if required
Click the add medication tile
Setting administration frequency rules
Frequency Rules | When to Use It | Important Notes |
Once a day | The dose must be administered and recorded every day of the week at specific times. | Check that the start time of the medication corresponds to where you enter the dose. E.g if a dose is required in the mornings the start time of the medication should be next day at morning time |
Every other day | The dose must be administered and recorded every other day of the week at specific times. | Check that the start date corresponds to the first day the carer needs to administer the dose |
Weekly | The medication only needs to be administered on certain days of the week. | Make sure you select a time label so carers know when to administer the medication |
Custom repeating
| The medication repeats in a special way (e.g., every 3 days, once a month, twice a year).
| You can use this to add medicine to the profile that doesn't require a dose to be administered by selecting "repeat every 10 years." This way the medication will be added to the medication list but carers won't see this dose in their app
|
Custom (free text) | This can be used for bespoke instructions that do not fall into any of the other frequency rules | NB This medication will appear under “Non-timed” in the carers app |
Daily example
Custom (free text)
Pro re nata (PRN/as needed) medication
The option for adding PRN/as needed medication will be accessible once you have selected an administration frequency. Chose the one that matches the maximum doses permitted. For example, 1g Paracetamol, select 4 times a day. All administration frequencies except Custom (free text), allow you to add the maximum number of doses in each time label. This means carers can only give the maximum doses permitted per visit and will reduce the risk of error.
PRN Notes:
PRN/As needed medications won't generate an alert in the eMAR if a dose isn't given. However, if you want un-administered PRN medicine reported, ask your carers to use the Not Given option and select the "Not Required" reason.
For PRN medication, you can select all the time labels when setting up the medicine. This way, carers can report individual doses at specific times of the day. Otherwise, these will generate a MUL code (which you can hover over to see who reported which dose)
PRN/As needed example
Add File Attachments
If you need to add a file like a prescription, a photo of the medicine, the measurement spoon, syringe, etc click on the + Add file attachment button
If you want to give your carers access to this file, tick the box, Show to carers. If the medication is already in the client's active medication list, click on the 3 dots at the end of the medicine row and select edit medicine
In the mobile app, the carers will find this file in the medicine information once they open it to make a report and click the link in blue.
Add Body Maps
You can add body maps to topical medicines to indicate exactly where your staff should apply the medication. This makes application clear and effortless.
For more information check this article: Body Maps for Medication
Important Final Check
In order for the carers to be able to report medication using the mobile app, the task Medication Administration has to be added to the visit or visit recurrence in the client's calendar. Read more about eMAR here.
The entire medication list is always visible on the mobile app via the client's profile.