According to the National Institutes of Health, about 50% of American patients fail to take their medications properly, contributing to 700,000 emergency room visits and approximately 10.7 million prescription misuse. Through Medication Management from a licensed healthcare professional, clients can ensure proper consumption of prescribed medications and achieve a therapeutic outcome, as intended by the physician. Medication Management from a healthcare professional limits the chances of medicine under or overdose while increasing the likelihood of appropriate medication administration. Medication Management is one aspect of proper medication administration, and Medication Delegation is another.
Medication Delegation is when legally qualified healthcare professional with authority to perform medication administration transfers that authority through delegation to an unauthorized person. During this process, unauthorized personnel is trained by the healthcare professional to oversee a patient’s medication intake, administration, progress, side effects, and communicate with doctors.
Home Health Companions provide access to both Medication Management and Medication Delegation to ensure the proper health of our clients.
BENEFITS OF MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
● Proper use by patients
● Improved administration of all medications
● Lower medical costs
● Lower chance of drug abuse or misuse
● Lower cases of over or underdose
● Peace of mind for patients and their families
WHAT A MEDICATION PLAN SHOULD INCLUDE
● Assessment of current medication management
● Medication reconciliation
● Clinical reviews of a patient’s medication
● Therapeutic drug monitoring
● Adverse drug reaction management
Medication Management and Delegation are two actions that work well individually but even better together. As people get older, the number of medications and the complexities of how they are to be taken may increase. This poses difficulty in keeping up with daily or hourly medication reminders, and a more hands-on approach may be necessary. Home Health Companions can provide trained individuals with Medication Management and Medication Delegation services to improve a patient’s quality of life by taking the stress away from at-home medication upkeep. Both processes include setting up a daily regimen for clients based on their specific needs. This process includes identifying issues within a patient’s current medical plan and setting a new way of achieving the client’s medical goals based on the agreement between the doctor, caregiver, and the client’s health care providers.
SERVICES OFFERED MAY INCLUDE:
● A daily regimen that involves having a pill dispenser or organizer
● Creating medication boxes for daily medications
● Taking pill counts for narcotic medications
● Assigned personnel that ensures a patient is taking their medication correctly
● Assigned personnel tracking the progress and efficiency of drugs and reporting it to the patients’ doctor
● Assigned personnel that are monitoring for side effects
Home Health companions are one of few home healthcare providers that offer Medication Management and Medication Delegation services. These efforts help decrease client hospital readmissions associated with medication misuse. We aim to give families and clients peace of mind in knowing they are appropriately cared for.
References
https://www.freedomcareny.com/posts/medication-management
https://www.myterracepharmacy.com/understanding-medication-management-importance-and-benefits
https://www.cno.org/fr/exercice-de-la-profession/outils-educatifs/ask-practice/delegation/
https://www.mdpain.net/blog/the-importance-of-medication-management