How to Get the Most Out of Your eMAR

Dispensing medication is one of the most important — yet potentially riskiest — parts of the daily routine at any senior living home. Your team must ensure that each resident receives precisely the right dosage of the right medication at the right time. And while they’re juggling all this information, they face countless distractions, from spilled water glasses to phone calls from family members. 

Under these stressful conditions, even the most attentive professionals can occasionally make mistakes. That’s why many assisted living organizations are turning to electronic medication administration records (eMARs) to keep residents safe. 

eMAR software handles every step of medication management, such as ordering refills and flagging missed doses. This convenient technology has become increasingly popular thanks to its numerous benefits. For example, eMAR can help staff feel more relaxed, eliminate wasteful paper documentation, and reduce medication errors. 

But many senior living organizations haven’t fully tapped into the power of eMAR. Here’s what you need to know to maximize your investment and get the most out of your eMAR. 

Familiarize Yourself with the eMAR System 

This might seem obvious, but gaining an in-depth understanding of your eMAR software is crucial for success. Many people learn to use a few key features but don’t explore the system’s full potential. 

Get started by understanding eMAR’s features and functionalities. Software vendors often provide free resources to help you learn about the system, like demonstrations and training modules. You could also search for reviews and ask other industry professionals to share how they use the software. 

Also, don’t be afraid to experiment with the eMAR system until you feel comfortable. Practice navigating the user interface and exploring all the nooks and crannies on the dashboard. 

Don’t know what a button does? Click it and see what happens. If you still can’t figure out a particular feature, don’t hesitate to contact the vendor for additional support. 

Establish Efficient Workflows and Processes

Research shows that eMAR can boost efficiency and decrease medication delivery time in senior living communities. But this transformation doesn’t magically happen as soon as you install the software. If you want to optimize your workflows, you need to understand how to apply eMAR in your organization effectively. 

Identify Opportunities for Streamlining Medication Administration Tasks 

Your staff members are intimately familiar with your community’s medication management operations. They know which residents require the most acute care, which tasks take the most time, and when they’re most likely to make mistakes. You can take advantage of this knowledge by collaborating with your team to develop standardized procedures with the eMAR. 

Let’s say that your community has many residents with multiple comorbidities, so staff frequently need to dispense five or more medications at a time. Your team could benefit from eMAR software with a Pop & Dot medication system. This approach allows caregivers to verify and sign off on multiple color-coded medications simultaneously, saving time. You could also program the system to send notifications for expiring prescriptions so staff can contact your pharmacy beforehand. 

Integrate the eMAR System Into Existing Workflows  

You don’t need to completely overhaul your workflows when implementing eMAR software. Instead, you can integrate your new system with existing tools for maximum efficiency. Pairing eMAR with electronic health record (EHR) software makes it easy to locate vital data, such as residents’ allergies and birthdates. And combining eMAR with billing software ensures that staff members don’t waste time inputting information into multiple platforms to make sure monthly invoices are accurate and on time.  

Ensure Accurate Medication Documentation 

eMAR lets senior living professionals access medication data from any approved device. However, this feature can do more harm than good if the information they see is incorrect or out of date.

Training staff members on proper medication documentation practices prevent dangerous mistakes. For instance, caregivers should report adverse reactions to medications and avoid non-standardized abbreviations. 

Staff must also double-check medication entries for accuracy and completeness. If they discover missing or confusing information, they should contact the prescribing provider before administering the drug. 

Leverage Reporting and Analytics Capabilities

Take advantage of your eMAR system’s data analytics capabilities to better understand your medication management processes. You can use the reporting features to track medication administration trends. Plus, data analytics tools can transform this information into actionable insights so you can identify areas that need improvement or flag potential issues. 

For example, data analytics may reveal that caregivers consistently take twice as long to administer medications during the night shift. This finding could indicate that you must increase staffing to ensure residents get their evening medications on time. 

In addition, you can use your eMAR to generate reports for regulatory compliance and audits quickly. This feature eliminates stress because you don’t need to scramble to track down and compile paper records. 

Ongoing Training and Continuous Improvement

Your efforts to educate your staff about your eMAR shouldn’t stop once you’ve gotten your system up and running. Provide regular refresher training sessions to ensure that everyone knows how to use the system efficiently. 

You should also encourage staff to provide feedback and suggestions for system enhancements. These insights could help you customize the eMAR to make medication management as effortless as possible. You can also follow the vendor’s blog or newsletter to keep up with software updates and new features. 

Monitor and Address Challenges 

Continually fine-tune your medication management by proactively identifying potential issues or barriers to optimal eMAR usage. Common barriers include missing data, staff resistance to new technology, and maintenance issues. You can overcome these challenges by ensuring you have the right resources, attitude, and staff training. 

Make Adjustments As Needed 

Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the eMAR system and make adjustments as needed. Your system provider can be an invaluable resource for troubleshooting and problem-solving. For example, they could help you develop custom templates to streamline the data entry process or provide training resources to teach you how to use data analytics functions. 

Take Full Advantage of eMAR Software

Maximizing your new eMAR software can help you provide the best resident care, integrate medication management with other systems, and reduce staff workloads. Proactive engagement and ongoing learning will allow your community to utilize this technology as efficiently as possible. With the help of eMAR, you can ensure resident safety and take your medication management operations to the next level. 

Would you like to learn more about how Med e-care can help you?