Tertianum Glasi has outsourced the preparation process and is relying on a partnership with a local pharmacy. This leaves more time for the residents.
The new Tertianum Glasi residential and care centre opened its doors at the new Glasi site in Bülach in summer 2022. The infrastructure offers 62 apartments for senior citizens, 44 of which are two-room apartments and 18 of which are tree-room apartments, as well as 40 single rooms in the care department. The senior citizens live in a modern building in a lively district and benefit from a range of services in a comfortable and safe environment. The bistro, which is open to the public, is a popular meeting place in the new neighbourhood and rounds off the facilities on offer.
Mr Manuel Reber, Head of Nursing & Care, was able to use all his expertise to define the ideal process for the given structures when designing the medication processes. He was able to familiarize himself with various medication systems in advance and try them out independently. This included the system that automatically packages medication in blister rolls – however, this system did not convince him. This is because it does not offer a sustainable and safe solution for nursing staff when medication is changed frequently.
It is important to Mr Reber to be able to react flexibly and to manage medication ideally for guests in short-term and respite care as well. The distribution and storage system around the transport box offers a suitable solution. Medication for residents is prepared, checked and delivered directly to the appropriate transport boxes in advance for a week by the external pharmacy. On site, the storage trays, which are labelled with the respective room number and other resident-specific data, are stored in the medication- and material cabinet in the station room to save space. The medication- and storage cabinets provide enough space to store reserve medication, liquid medication and other material for each resident in a clearly arranged manner.
The night shift takes on an additional control function in the preparation of the daily medication and ensures that new and changed medical prescriptions are implemented immediately. The early shift is responsible for preparing drops and other liquid medications. The delivery of medication is supported by a medication trolley, which can be used to carry all the necessary aids.
The team led by Mr Reber has been able to maximize patient safety by efficiently organizing this process. Other arguments for focusing on externally administered medication, according to Mr Reber, are
- Elimination of large medication stocks and the associated control processes
- Relief for nursing staff
- Increased patient safety
- Development of additional expertise through the partner pharmacy
Efficient storage
The ward rooms have built-in cabinets that have been customized to the given space. The cabinets provide enough space to store not only medication but also aids and various materials. Mr Reber places great value on the fact that no material is stockpiled in the ward room and that everything is handled as sustainably as possible. This also helps to prevent unnecessary costs.
Conclusion:
Mr Reber is satisfied with the solutions provided by Wiegand. The processes are continuously checked to recognize possible optimization potential and to maintain patient safety.
The centralized preparation of medications – whether by the in-house pharmacy or external service providers – relieves the burden on nursing staff in their daily work. Numerous care homes decide to outsource the weekly preparation of medications in the weekly dosing systems in order to improve internal processes. This process increases patient and medication safety, as stressful situations are avoided, and a pharmaceutically trained professional can concentrate undisturbed on the task of preparing the medication.
