Medication management is a major compliance risk for residential care and home care providers, but new technology solutions set to roll out in the next five years will not only improve care – they will also benefit providers’ bottom line.

Renee Watson is General Manager at medication management solution provider MPS Connect, which supports 60,000 consumers across Australia – two-thirds in residential aged care and the remaining third living at home.

She says that MPS has identified an increasing demand for medication management in home care as well as disability services as the Federal Government directs more funding towards keeping ageing Australians living at home.

Little medication regulation in home care

Currently, there is little legislation around medication management in home care – often unskilled workers are dispensing medications.

This poses a significant compliance risk for providers given medication management and administration consistently rate as the number one complaint to the regulator.

A study released in March this year by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) and the University of Tasmania found 43% of complaints around medication in residential care related to administration processes – namely receiving medication late or not at all, inadequate medication management systems; and chemical restraint. 

Not taking medications consistently or at the right dose can result in severe health outcomes for aged care recipients including hospitalisation and even death – and see providers disciplined by the regulator.

Just recently, the ACQSC published an alert about the preventable death of an aged care resident who was administered medications that had been prescribed for another resident.

Increasing use of technology to monitor medication – and predict health outcomes

The Government is looking to tackle this thorny problem by funding Macquarie University to establish an Aged Care Medication Roundtable that is set to trial several digital interventions.

So, what could these ‘interventions’ look like – and can aged care providers get on the front foot now?

MPS Connect already provides its clients with a wide range of data on medication administration trends including polypharmacy, psychotropics and antibiotics.

But Renee says this will expand into new technologies offering providers the opportunity to better monitor medication use among their clients – and even predict adverse health outcomes before they happen.

“If we can see that history and build the relationship with the local pharmacy, we can predict their health outcomes over the longer term, for example, if they may have intolerances to certain medications,” she said.

“We can also identify if there are compliance issues that may mean that this health conditions happens sooner rather than later.”

AI to predict health risks 

In the next five years, it is likely that algorithms that utilise artificial intelligence (AI) will also be used to analyse data and provide increasingly personalised, preventative care.

“We will be able to create algorithms based on care recipients’ behaviour,” added Renee.

“We could actually use AI to predict intolerances of different medications before you even take them based on the data that we could pull together.”

For aged care providers, this will help to not just manage compliance – they will be able to deliver more appropriate care plans which will in turn deliver better health outcomes for their clients.

AI will also increasingly be used to provide virtual assistants and chatbots that help with medication management and improve transparency for the customer and their family about the medications that Mum or Dad is taking – historically a big cause for complaints to the regulator.

Dose aids to become standard in home care

There is also expected to be a growth in the use of Dose Administration Aids (DAAs) to ensure medication adherence when packing or dispensing medications, for example, a thumbprint-enabled device that dispenses a medication sachet for the recipient.

“There are a number of technologies that are coming onto the market to help people that need some support in medication administration without them having to have additional carers in their home,” said Renee. 

“The medication management can be done remotely and enable that person to be more independent as well. 

These technologies could prove to be powerful marketing tools for aged care providers looking to differentiate their services in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

They could also help to save considerably on costs for both the client and the provider.

For instance, if a home care recipient requires a medication prompt twice a day, the travel costs and care worker time come straight out of their Package – quickly adding up.

Using a DAA enables recipients to receive medication prompts electronically and use their Package for other essential services such as social support or shopping.

It also assists the provider to send their in-demand workforce where they are most needed – a win-win for everyone.

Watch this space then.