24 November 2008

A new website has been developed by the National Prescribing Service (NPS) to provide registered nurses working in residential aged care with access to resources to assist with medication management issues.

Following legislative changes within the state drugs and poisons regulations, both registered and enrolled nurses have greater responsibility for medication management in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs).

To address these changes NPS initiated a project in 2007 with seven RACFs across urban and rural NSW and Victoria to determine the primary issues faced by registered nurses on quality medicine management. The result of this project has been the development of a tailored website that provides registered nurses with access to the resources and tools they need to achieve quality medication management.

“In the residential aged care sector, medication management is becoming an increasingly complex issue,” NPS Manager of Curriculum and Training, Dr Meg Stuart said.

“Aged care residents often have complex medication regimens, which places them at higher risk of experiencing adverse events and interactions.”

The website, to be launched in Canberra today by Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot, focuses on areas such as self, team and client education; delegation, liaison and consultation; recording and utilising clinical information; monitoring and evaluation; clinical judgment; government regulations and administration; and accessibility of medicines.

The website also enables nurses to communicate with each other about medication management issues, critique existing resources and suggest additional resources for inclusion.

“This new resource is expected to make a valuable contribution to safe and effective medication management in aged care facilities,” Dr Stuart said.

For registered nurses to achieve quality use of medicines in RACFs they must give priority to:

•   Assessment of the appropriateness of medications
•   Monitoring and reviewing medication effectiveness and side effects
•   Having the right tools to administer medications
•   Safe and effective delivery of medication
•   Consideration of factors individual to each resident
•   Liaison with the prescriber and the dispenser of the medicines
•   Education of residents and their families
•   Education of care staff

“This project aims to promote Quality Use of Medicines which means selecting management options wisely, choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary, and using medicines safely and effectively,” Dr Stuart said.

The website can be accessed at www.agedcare.nps.org.au.

ENDS

The National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) is an independent, non-profit organisation for Quality Use of Medicines funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.