TY - JOUR
T1 - Strategies to promote safe medication administration in assisted living settings
AU - Young, Heather M.
AU - Sikma, Suzanne K.
AU - Reinhard, Susan C.
AU - McCormick, Wayne C.
AU - Cartwright, Juliana C.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Assisted living (AL) provides lower cost, less institutional environments than skilled nursing facilities, yet less professional oversight, despite the high prevalence of chronic conditions among residents. Unlicensed staff administer large quantities of medications daily, and medication management is one of the three top quality issues in AL, with error rates ranging from 10% to 40%. This qualitative study described AL provider views on medication safety and strategies used to promote safety in medication administration. The sample included 96 participants representing all parties involved in medication administration (i.e., medication aides, administrators, RNs, consulting pharmacists, primary care providers) in 12 AL settings in three states. Core themes were the importance of medication safety, unique contextual factors in AL, and strategies used to promote medication safety. This study has implications for research on interventions to improve medication safety at the individual, facility, and policy levels.
AB - Assisted living (AL) provides lower cost, less institutional environments than skilled nursing facilities, yet less professional oversight, despite the high prevalence of chronic conditions among residents. Unlicensed staff administer large quantities of medications daily, and medication management is one of the three top quality issues in AL, with error rates ranging from 10% to 40%. This qualitative study described AL provider views on medication safety and strategies used to promote safety in medication administration. The sample included 96 participants representing all parties involved in medication administration (i.e., medication aides, administrators, RNs, consulting pharmacists, primary care providers) in 12 AL settings in three states. Core themes were the importance of medication safety, unique contextual factors in AL, and strategies used to promote medication safety. This study has implications for research on interventions to improve medication safety at the individual, facility, and policy levels.
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U2 - 10.3928/19404921-20130122-01
DO - 10.3928/19404921-20130122-01
M3 - Article
C2 - 23350535
AN - SCOPUS:84884294590
SN - 1940-4921
VL - 6
SP - 161
EP - 170
JO - Research in Gerontological Nursing
JF - Research in Gerontological Nursing
IS - 3
ER -