The Impact Of Electronic Medication Administration Records (e-MAR) On Medication Administration Safety And Nurses' Work
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$735,675.00
Summary
The demands on health systems, both nationally and internationally, are growing, exacerbated by an ageing population and health workforce shortages. The incorporation of information technology into new health care delivery models promises both improvements in the safety and efficiency of care delivery. Medication errors are one of the most significant safety issues for health care systems. Medication management occupies a significant amount of nurses' time, and is also fraught with error potenti ....The demands on health systems, both nationally and internationally, are growing, exacerbated by an ageing population and health workforce shortages. The incorporation of information technology into new health care delivery models promises both improvements in the safety and efficiency of care delivery. Medication errors are one of the most significant safety issues for health care systems. Medication management occupies a significant amount of nurses' time, and is also fraught with error potential. One-third of all medication errors that cause patient harm arise from medication administration errors (MAEs). Electronic medication administration records (e-MARs) provide the potential to make the administration of medications safer for patients by reducing error rates, and also by allowing nurses to more efficiently manage medication tasks. However there is very limited research from Australia or overseas which has examined whether they computerised system work and in fact reduce error rates or save nurses time. In this project we will conduct prospective, controlled observational studies to determine the effectiveness of an electronic medication administration record (e-MAR) to reduce MAEs and the amount of time nurses spend in the medication administration process. The project will apply innovative data collection tools using PDA software purpose-built for these studies which have undergone extensive pilot testing in clinical settings. The results will have important implications for hospitals across Australia and internationally as they consider the implementation of e-MARs. This research will provide the first comprehensive data of medication administration errors in Australia against which future preventative error strategies can be evaluated. The results will provide the evidence needed to develop recommendations about how to reduce MAEs and improve the design of e-MARs.Read moreRead less
Inter-rater Reliability And Predictive Validity Of A New Functional Capacity Evaluation For Chronic Back Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$105,794.00
Summary
Back pain costs the Australian community tens of billions of dollars. Back pain is one of the main causes of work injury and lost time from work. The longer a person is off work, the harder it is to get them back to work. Workers' compensation systems around Australia aim at getting the injured worker with back pain back to work as soon as possible. One of the difficulties in this process is determining what the person with back pain can physically do in the workplace. An evaluation technique, c ....Back pain costs the Australian community tens of billions of dollars. Back pain is one of the main causes of work injury and lost time from work. The longer a person is off work, the harder it is to get them back to work. Workers' compensation systems around Australia aim at getting the injured worker with back pain back to work as soon as possible. One of the difficulties in this process is determining what the person with back pain can physically do in the workplace. An evaluation technique, called functional capacity evaluation (known as FCE), is one method used to find out what the person with back pain physically can and cannot do. In a FCE, a trained health professional such as an occupational therapist, observes the person performing a range of physical activities like the ones he or she may have to perform in a job. The therapist closely observes the person performing activities such as lifting, carrying, kneeling, crouching, balancing, and walking and notes any limitations in the person's ability to complete the activities. The therapist makes comments about what difficulties the person may have on the job and recommendations about how these could be reduced or eliminated. The information gained from these evaluations can be valuable for the treating doctor in deciding whether the person is ready to go back to work and what duties the person can and cannot do on the job. Because of such value they provide, FCE is commonly used in rehabilitation programs endorsed by workers' compensation systems around Australia. This widespread use and endorsement of FCE occurs despite limited research on the soundness of the ratings made from these evaluations. There is a need to see whether recommendations made from FCEs are consistent between therapists (i.e. reliable) and to see if the FCE accurately predicts the person's physical capacity for work. This research will examine these issues with injured workers with back pain.Read moreRead less
Is Hip Fracture Rehabilitation Cost Effective In Residential Care? A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Rehabilitation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$137,970.00
Summary
Some of the frailest members of our community live in nursing homes and a hip fracture can be devastating to a person with dementia as it can leave them permanently unable to walk. We don't know how best to promote recovery when they break their hips. At present there is an assumption that rehabilitation at this stage of life is not worthwhile but this study will test whether the benefits outweigh the costs. We will test whether an assessment by a geriatrician and rehabilitation improves walking ....Some of the frailest members of our community live in nursing homes and a hip fracture can be devastating to a person with dementia as it can leave them permanently unable to walk. We don't know how best to promote recovery when they break their hips. At present there is an assumption that rehabilitation at this stage of life is not worthwhile but this study will test whether the benefits outweigh the costs. We will test whether an assessment by a geriatrician and rehabilitation improves walking, independence and quality of life.Read moreRead less