New medication management framework
Australia’s agency for health care safety and quality has released a framework to be embedded into existing systems and processes to reduce medication mismanagement as people transition between hospital and aged care.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has published a new framework on medication management during transitions of care.
The commission said the framework aims to introduce a stewardship approach to medication management during transition of care periods, and is designed to be embedded into existing systems, processes and clinical practice.
It also aims to:
- support coordinated governance
- promote and optimise safe and high-quality medication management
- reduce medication-related harm and hospital readmission rates from errors and miscommunication
- ensure continuous improvement.
Up to one in three patients discharged to residential aged care miss doses of prescribed medicine in the 24-72 hour period after discharge, the commission said.
The Medication Management at Transitions of Care Stewardship Framework aims to improve communication between hospitals, primary care and aged care facilities to reduce the risk of medication-related harm during transitions.
The framework introduces four elements for improving transitional care.
The first is related to introducing a governing committee responsible for the implementation and ongoing oversight of medication management stewardship during the transition of care. It would also be responsible for reviewing and advising on effective and efficient management of resources.
The second element is establishing a multidisciplinary stewardship team of clinicians to coordinate and lead local medication management and be the link between the governing committee and hospital care teams.
Element three is related to medication management activities, and establishes:
- ways to communicate safety strategies
- a systemic risk-based approach to prioritise interventions
- activities to support safe and high-quality medication management during transition of care.
Element four promotes continuous monitoring, measuring and evaluation of care against quality indicators, with the governing committee determining the objectives and performance measures.
Access the complete framework with more information on each of the four elements here.
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