New Medicine Compact Books for Clients
Introducing our new Compact Book System for LDS Clients – a disability specific long-term medication chart. Read more below.
With the start of the new financial year, we are excited to announce the implementation of a new and improved medical record-keeping system for LDS clients. Starting from July 31st, we will gradually introduce the compact book to each client, rolled out from house to house, aiming to complete the transition by the end of September.
During the past couple of months, we have been piloting the compact book in the North and South regions, and some clients, staff, and family members may already be familiar with it. We value any feedback and comments received during this transition; any feedback received is beneficial.
The decision to adopt the compact book system was driven by several important factors:
1. Meeting Industry Standards:
As part of our commitment to delivering the best possible care, it is essential to stay in line with the latest industry standards. The new disability-specific compact book aligns us with industry improvements in medical record keeping, ensuring our clients receive the best support methods available.
2. Minimizing Human Error & Risk:
Our aim is to reduce the chances of human error in record-keeping, which could have serious consequences if done incorrectly. By using the compact book, we streamline the process, reducing the risk of misplaced or misinterpreted information. Medical information comes directly from the GP, printed, signed and labelled for clear and concise medical labelling without the need to transcribe.
3. Improving Quality & Safeguarding:
The compact book system enhances the overall quality of our services by providing a centralised and easily accessible source of medical information. This enables our support workers, caregivers and healthcare professionals to make better-informed decisions quickly, leading to improved outcomes and increased safety for our clients. Easy to read and understand medicine charts will also assist in clients who self-administer medicines.
4. Robust, Compact, and Concise:
The name says it all – the compact book is a comprehensive and robust solution that houses all the necessary medical information in one place. This eliminates the need to search through multiple files and papers, making it more convenient for both our clients and staff.
These files are in use for six months at a time, opposed to our previous monthly-use medicine administration sign off sheets.
We have listened to industry advisories, family members and pharmacies who already use the Compact Book and taken on board their encouragement and advice.
LDS have also made the decision to bear the additional costs of purchasing the Compact Books, as it aligns with the LDS core values to provide excellence to our organisation. Clients will not be paying extra for the new medication charts.
More product details on the Compact Books:
• 6-month chart recording length
• Pharmacy packed multi-dose signing with non-packed items to initial individually
• RN / EN Individual medication signing
…making it easy to document and review client medication over a six-month period:
• Colour Coded drug charts
• 17 Regular Med orders
• 18 PRN orders
• Daily medication counts
• Medication received and removed registers
…saving time and constant re-writing by doctors:
• Has medicine reviews, notes and prescriber verbal instructions
• Can use medical director labels using software.
This chart provides six months recording of medication orders and administration. The advantage of this longer overview is that it makes it easy for a doctor or pharmacist to review a client’s medication history.
All of these features below provide information to assist staff with the individual medication requirements of each client:
• A plastic pocket on the front cover for the Client’s photograph.
• Space for recording allergies and reactions.
• Space for vaccinations (including COVID 19)
• Commonly used abbreviations.
• Notes about the type of medications recorded.
Throughout this period, we are eager to hear your thoughts. Feedback from family members, clients, and staff is invaluable in refining the medication compact book system. We are excited to refine our processes, continue providing quality service, and to produce better outcomes for our clients and organisation.
