Can data really save lives?

What if there was a simple way of improving the safety and comfort of care home patients? If complex medication could be administered correctly every time – even when staffing issues are a concern?

What if managers were freed from mountains of paperwork and could create automated inspection-ready reports in an instant? Imagine if they could see accurate daily snapshot reports of activity at each of their care homes, wherever they may be? 

It might sound like a fantasy, but at Omnicell, we know this utopia is achievable because some care homes are already living it. (Find out how Eton House Residential home transformed its residents’ lives through adopting technology https://www.omnicell.co.uk/customer-stories/eton-house).

Imagine our delight when the Government recognised the same challenges and opportunities that we’ve been shouting about too! Released on 15 June 2022 for England, the NHS Data Saves Live: reshaping health and social care with data policy paper includes commitments to:

• Invest in data security
• Use technology to allow staff to spend more quality time with patients

Issues highlighted by the report

The Data Saves Lives policy paper validates what I hear from managers and staff at the care homes that I support on their automation journey. The report highlights the inefficiencies of paper-based documentation:

• “Frontline health staff spend large amounts of time collecting data – usually because information isn’t accessible to them and they need to collect it again. When information is not available, they must find workarounds or look through paper-based documents. We want to make sure that the data is immediately available on the systems they use to do their jobs.”
• “If we get this right, we will not only deliver benefits to the public we serve, but we can also free up staff time to focus on what they do best, giving the best possible care to everyone, whilst respecting data privacy.”
• Data needs to be recorded in a smarter way, “by moving from manual data collection to automated systems, staff can spend more time using data to do their jobs rather than collecting it” 

However, there are barriers to digitization. Research published in December 2021 showed that 23% of care home staff could not access the internet consistently at work. Also, 45% of providers expressed concern that care staff lacked digital skills.

Act now

Omnicell eMAR smashes down those barriers, so there is no reason to delay joining the digital revolution and improving outcomes right away.

We supply all the equipment, software and training that providers need. Amazingly, WiFi connectivity is not required to get Omnicell eMAR up and running, and for care homes and their patients to start enjoying the benefits. We’ll be available to offer ongoing support 365 days of the year.

The benefits

A staggering 92.8% of care home errors occur at medication administration. This risk is eliminated with Omnicell eMAR thanks to easy-to-use barcode scanning that ensures the correct dose of the right medication is given to the correct patient at the right time. It spots any errors, such as missed signatures or medications, straight away.

Freed from time-consuming paper-based tasks, frontline staff can focus on caring for their patients.

When Avery Healthcare Group piloted Omnicell eMAR at two of its care homes, one of the benefits was a reduction in time spent checking in medication from five hours per floor to two hours per floor. This time has now been redirected back into face-to-face patient care. Read the full case study here. 

Consolidated reporting improves accuracy and record keeping and removes the stress of chasing down signatures and paperwork for audits and inspections, as well as saving time.

New features introduced to Omnicell eMAR in June 2022 include a daily management reporting service that provides an overview of medication administered, missing medication, missed signatures and low stock. This snapshot is accessible anywhere and eliminates the need for multiple databases in the case of providers with more than one care home.

A new alert function reminds carers to report on the effectiveness of any required medication that is administered, which helps assess its effectiveness for future prescription. Plus, senior staff can now make quicker clinical assessments of patients thanks to medication history provided through eMAR.

To find out about more new features of Omnicell eMAR and learn how automation can save precious time, reduce errors and provide more opportunities for face-to-face care, please get in touch.

‘Our staff have really embraced the new system and we have had multiple reports detailing just how easy it is to use.’ 

Julie Spencer, head of care at Avery Healthcare Group

'The audit trail is now much clearer as we no longer rely on a paper-based system – in the event of discrepancies we can now see straight away what has happened and why it occurred. Stock counts are also much more accurate and quicker to do.’

Claire Buckle, manager at Coach House Care Home