Medication Information

Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, caregivers

LTC@H patients rely on their caregivers — not licensed nurses — to administer medications correctly and recognize problems. Unlike institutional settings where nursing staff have clinical training and can interpret package inserts, LTC@H caregivers range widely in health literacy and medical background. The pharmacy's obligation to provide clear, practical medication information is therefore more important in the LTC@H context than in retail, because the caregiver's understanding of the medication may be the only clinical safeguard present at the moment of administration.

MEDICATION INFORMATION

Policy

The licensed nursing staff has access to reference materials that include current information on medication effects, cautions, available strengths, dosage forms, recommended doses, and nomenclature.

Procedures

1. Reference material is kept at each nursing station. A general pharmacology text is available to the nursing staff and kept (in the director of nursing's office). If IV solutions are administered in the facility, a reference relating to IV medication administration is readily available to nursing personnel.

2. For unusual nonprescription medications, information on safe and effective use is kept with the medication. Do not cover manufacturer information on the label unless the medication is dispensed as a prescription. In such cases, the provider pharmacy label supersedes manufacturer directions.

3. When information about a medication is not available, the charge nurse requests it from the provider pharmacy.

4. Package literature obtained from the provider pharmacy is kept at the nursing station with other medication information.

5. Reference materials or the pharmacist are consulted before administering an unfamiliar medication.

6. The responsible party is given patient appropriate information for discharge/take home information.

• Dispensing records showing CMI or written information provided with new medications
• Documented counseling offers and outcomes for each LTC@H patient at each fill
• Patient education records including content of counseling provided

• CMI generation disabled in the pharmacy system — confirm your system is generating CMI for new medications and that it is being included with the dispensed package
• Counseling offer not documented for delivered medications — delivery counseling offers must be made proactively by phone and documented
• Technical CMI that is not useful for the caregiver's reading level — consider providing plain-language summaries for high-risk medications