Factors influencing nursing time spent on administration of medication in an Australian residential aged care home

Abstract

Aims: To examine nursing time spent on administration of medications in a residential aged care (RAC) home, and to determine factors that influence the time to medicate a resident. Background: Information on nursing time spent on medication administration is useful for planning and implementation of nursing resources.Methods: Nurses were observed over 12 morning medication rounds using a time-motion observational method and field notes, at two high-care units in an Australian RAC home.Results: Nurses spent between 2.5 and 4.5 hours in a medication round. Administration of medication averaged 200 seconds per resident. Four factors had significant impact on medication time: number of types of medication, number of tablets taken by a resident, methods used by a nurse to prepare tablets and methods to provide tablets.Conclusion: Administration of medication consumed a substantial, though variable amount of time in the RAC home. Nursing managers need to consider the factors that influenced the nursing time required for the administration of medication in their estimation of nursing workload and required resources. Implications for nursing management: To ensure safe medication administration for older people, managers should regularly assess the changes in the factors influencing nursing time on the administration of medication when estimating nursing workload and required resources. care (RAC) home, and to determine factors which influence the time to medicate a resident. 5Background. Information on nursing time spent on medication administration is useful for

Impact of Medication Regimen Simplification on Medication Administration Times and Health Outcomes in Residential Aged Care: 12 Month Follow Up of the SIMPLER Randomized Controlled Trial

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The contribution of electronic health records to risk management through accreditation of residential aged care homes in Australia

“…Observational studies in Australian RAC homes have found that oral communication was the most frequent activity and the major communication channel between nursing staff, with residents and with outside service providers [2,[21][22][23]. About two-thirds of activities of nursing staff had a duration of 1 minute or less [2]; therefore nursing staff rarely had time to consult nursing records in the care delivery process [1]. Even in conducting high risk activity of medication management that requires clear information, the nursing staff only spent one to 2 minutes on reading residents' records in a threehour round [24].…”

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“…Because the majority of residents are dependent on facility staff for medication administration [ 1 ], complex medication regimens are costly for aged care providers in terms of nursing time. A time–motion observational study of 12 morning medication rounds within one Australian residential aged care facility (RACF), involving seven nurses across two high care units, reported that nursing staff spent an average of three hours administering medications to 35 residents during the morning medication round [ 5 ]. Complex medication regimens can also be burdensome for residents, particularly for residents with dementia.…”