SUMMARY - Safe Medications Management project: Key issues and ...

Roundtable Discussion:Key issues identified in the Gap Analysis and Industry Survey were tabled at a roundtablediscussion, which is detailed under the following headings:1. LegislationToo much is expected of legislation as it largely relates to the supply of medicines ingeneral (most drugs used in aged care are funded under the national PharmaceuticalBenefits Scheme).There is a need to consider other national legislation particularly the National Health Act.Legislation can be difficult to interpret and understand.Nurses feel both accountable to, and bound by, legislation and guidelines.Aged Care Approved Providers manage Residential Aged Care Facilities and CommunityAged Care services across states/territories and need a consistent system.Different states’ regulations are apt to cause confusion for services and workers whooperate or work across state borders.There would appear to be an overall deficit of knowledge in relation to medicines’legislation.2. AccreditationAccreditation has a greater potential than regulation to improve and resolve problems.However, accreditation itself requires clearer processes to achieve this.Aged Care Accreditation assessors do not refer to the Australian Pharmaceutical AdvisoryCouncil (APAC) guidelines nor expect the Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) to utilisethe APAC guidelines per se.3. MedicationsMedication management is a series of problems in a chain of processes (prescribing,dispensing, supplying, administering).Under-medication is another dimension to consumer medication compliance alongsidepolypharmacy.There is lack of data collection and reporting mechanisms to enable medication error ratesto be determined in aged care. This is in contrast to the availability of evidence in the acutehealth sector.The biggest problem is that of under-reporting of medication errors which requiresestablishment of a “no blame” culture if it is to be remedied.Maintaining continuity of the care-workers who administer medications is important.Registered Nurses from other countries can have difficulty with the different drug namesused in Australia versus their countries of origin or other jurisdictions where they havebeen educated or worked.For many workers, including Personal Care Workers, English is a second language.