In Australian aged care, staff shortages and operational inefficiencies are significant challenges that impact the quality of care provided to residents. As the demand for aged care services grows, these issues become more pressing, requiring innovative solutions to ensure facilities can continue to deliver exceptional care.
According to a PWC report on Australia’s care workforce, there could be a shortage of at least 110,000 aged care workers by 2031, with the number rising to 400,000 by 2050. This significant shortage will make it difficult to meet the basic standards of care recommended by the Royal Commission, putting immense pressure on existing teams, often leading to increased workloads, extended shifts, and a heightened risk of burnout.
In one study, nurses reported that insufficient staffing and using agency staff is a common cause of medication errors. This is, of course, a concern that will be exacerbated as the aging population grows and workforce shortages increase.
The Challenges of Medication Rounds Without Data
Medication rounds are a critical component of daily operations but often resemble a "black box" — time-consuming activities with limited visibility into their efficiency and effectiveness. Without clear insights into what happens during these rounds, it's challenging for facility managers to identify bottlenecks, allocate resources effectively, or implement improvements.
Where are delays occurring?
Are there patterns contributing to medication errors or missed doses?
How can we optimise our staffing so that operations are more efficient and staff are more supported?
These questions remain unanswered without actionable data, leaving facilities in the dark about critical aspects of their operations.
The Power of Data in Aged Care
Having access to real-time information is essential for making informed decisions in any industry. For example, in logistics, companies drastically improved efficiency through real-time tracking. By monitoring delivery patterns, they identified bottlenecks, optimised routes, and reallocated resources to reduce delays.
Similarly, data insights allow RACFs to optimise medication rounds, reduce staff workload, and ensure timely care —boosting both efficiency and resident outcomes.
Identify Inefficiencies: Pinpoint where time is a challenge during medication rounds.
Improve Staff Allocation: Balance workloads to prevent burnout and ensure equitable distribution of tasks.
Enhance Resident Care: Reduce medication errors by improving staff efficiency and optimising resources.
Introducing Sasha: Empowering Your Team with Data and Efficiency
We created our medication management device, Sasha, to alleviate the challenges of medication errors, inefficient operations, and short staff.
Here's how:
Reduce Staff Workload: Automate medication management and tracking, freeing up your team's time to focus on direct resident care.
Enhance Operational Insight: Provide detailed, real-time data on medication administration times, staff involvement, and adherence patterns through Sasha's comprehensive reporting dashboard.
Improve Compliance and Safety: Utilise biometric security to ensure medications are accessed only by authorised personnel, minimising the risk of errors.
How Sasha Delivers Unprecedented Visibility into Your Dose Rounds
Sasha makes your medication rounds transparent, and data rich. With every dose administration recorded, Sasha gives you insight into:
Exact Dose Times: Know the exact time each medication was administered, helping to identify delays or staff scheduling issues.
Exact Round Times: See how long a medication round took from start to finish. Compare medication rounds across weeks, months, and more to establish patterns and outliers.
Staff Accountability: Track who administered each dose and who needs more training or support.
Operational Patterns: Detect and understand inefficiencies or deviations in medication rounds, such as prolonged gaps between doses or frequent interruptions to support and change the way ‘it has always been done’.
An example of how Sasha's administration timing during a dose round graphed provides clear visibility into medication administration patterns.
Data-Driven Decision-Making with Sasha
By providing detailed insights, Sasha enables facilities to:
Optimise Workflows: Reorganise medication rounds based on data to improve efficiency.
Allocate Resources Effectively: Adjust staff schedules to balance workloads and address peak times.
Implement Continuous Improvement: Use data trends to inform training programs and operational policies.
An example of how with Sasha's data, ACFs can gain clear visibility into medication administration patterns across multiple medication rounds.
Real-World Impact of Medication Management and Administration Devices
Facilities utilising Sasha have reported:
30% Reduction in Medication Round Times: Streamlining processes allows staff to allocate more time to direct resident care.
Improved Staff Satisfaction: Reduced workload and clearer accountability contribute to higher morale.
Enhanced Resident Safety: Accurate dispensing and administration reduce the risk of medication errors, resulting in a higher quality of care for residents.
Ability to Reach 60% Reduction in Medication Round Times: With Sasha’s data, ACFs can detect and understand how to optimise their resources to improve efficiency.
Conclusion
In a sector where time and resources are precious, leveraging technology like Sasha can make a profound difference. By understanding the hidden aspects of medication management, you can make informed decisions that enhance efficiency, support your staff, and, most importantly, improve the quality of care for your residents.
Ready to Transform Your Medication Management Process?
If you're interested in exploring how Sasha can help support staff workflows and address staff shortages and operational inefficiencies in your facility, feel free to contact our team at info@harkmedical.com.
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