Complex medication regimens are highly prevalent, burdensome for residents and staff, and associated with poor health outcomes in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). The SIMPLER study was a non-blinded, matched-pair, cluster randomized controlled trial in eight Australian RACFs that investigated the one-off application of a structured 5-step implicit process to simplify medication regimens. The aim of this study was to explore the processes underpinning study implementation and uptake of the medication simplification intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the SImplification of Medications Prescribed to Long-tErm care Residents (SIMPLER) cluster-randomized controlled trial, we investigated the impact of a structured medication regimen simplification intervention on medication incidents in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) over a 12-month follow-up. A clinical pharmacist applied the validated 5-step Medication Regimen Simplification Guide for Residential Aged CarE (MRS GRACE) for 96 of the 99 participating residents in the four intervention RACFs. The 143 participating residents in the comparison RACFs received usual care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Being able to manage a complex medication regimen is key to older people continuing to live at home. This study determined the feasibility of a multi-component intervention to simplify medication regimens for people receiving community-based home care services.
Patients And Methods: Research nurses recruited people receiving community-based home care services to participate in this non-randomized pilot and feasibility study (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001130257).
Rationale/aim: Medication administration is a complex and time-consuming task in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Understanding the time associated with each administration step may help identify opportunities to optimize medication management in RACFs. This study aimed to investigate the time taken to administer medications to residents, including those with complex care needs such as cognitive impairment and swallowing difficulties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the SImplification of Medications Prescribed to Long-tErm care Residents (SIMPLER) cluster-randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the impact of structured medication regimen simplification on medication administration times, falls, hospitalization, and mortality at 8 residential aged care facilities (RACFs) at 12 month follow up. In total, 242 residents taking ≥1 medication regularly were included. Opportunities for simplification among participants at 4 RACFs were identified using the validated Medication Regimen Simplification Guide for Residential Aged CarE (MRS GRACE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the application of a structured process to consolidate the number of medication administration times for residents of aged care facilities.
Design: A nonblinded, matched-pair, cluster randomized controlled trial.
Setting And Participants: Permanent residents who were English-speaking and taking at least 1 regular medication, recruited from 8 South Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs).
Objective: To explore variation in medication regimen complexity in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) according to resident age, length of stay, comorbidity, dementia severity, frailty, and dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs), and compare number of daily administration times and Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) as measures of regimen complexity.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the SImplification of Medications Prescribed to Long-tErm care Residents (SIMPLER) cluster-randomized controlled trial. The SIMPLER study recruited 242 residents with at least one medication charted for regular administration from 8 RACFs in South Australia.
Introduction: Managing medication regimens is one of the most complex and burdensome tasks performed by older people, and can be prone to errors. People living with dementia may require medication administration assistance from formal and informal caregivers. Simplified medication regimens maintain the same therapeutic intent, but have less complex instructions and administration schedules.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Student Education and Participation Program that has evolved at Helping Hand Aged Care over the past decade is based on ongoing research and evaluation, and a highly innovative example of the teaching nursing home model has emerged.
Methods: Drawing on that body of work and findings from the national evaluation of Australia's TRACS (Teaching and Research Aged Care Services) programme (2012-2015) an analysis of the model is presented.
Results And Conclusions: Lessons learned about the challenges faced, enabling factors, the benefits generated and outcomes achieved are presented.
Background: Complex medication regimens are highly prevalent in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Strategies to reduce unnecessary complexity may be valuable because complex medication regimens can be burdensome for residents and are costly in terms of nursing time. The aim of this study is to investigate application of a structured process to simplify medication administration in RACFs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The objective of this systematic review was to identify primary health-care or aged-care strategies that have or could support the well-being of older Indigenous peoples.
Methods: A search was undertaken of primary databases including Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Papers which reported on the perspectives of older Indigenous peoples, community members and provider participants were included.