Driving change in the medication management process: case Lahti, Finland
The Medanets Medication solution is being implemented at the Päijät-Häme Central Hospital in Lahti, Finland. The implementation is part of a broader framework that has been under development for some time. The main objectives of the project are to improve patient and medication safety and to pave the way for the closed-loop medication process.
Towards a more integrated and safer medication management process
The project is driven by the need to develop and harmonise existing medication safety processes. “Previously, the lack of consistent medication documentation made it difficult to verify what medication a patient had received. This issue was particularly problematic before examinations and procedures, or when patients moved from one ward to another,” says Mari Kivioja, a specialist nurse at the Wellbeing services county of Päijät-Häme. In addition, practices for documenting dose deviations were inconsistent, with data stored in different places.
“Our expectation is that these challenges will be reduced, as all medication received by the patient, as well as any deviations, will be documented in one place. With Medanets, this can be done quickly at the point of administration. Patient safety will increase, as patients will always be identified by scanning their wristband, ensuring that the right medication is given to the right patient,” Kivioja adds.
Careful preparation and implementation
The implementation of Medanets Medication was carefully prepared, and so far, everything has went smoothly.
Overall, the app is user-friendly, which allows us to focus on training the staff to adapt to the new workflow.”
Mari Kivioja, Specialist nurse at the Wellbeing services county of Päijät-Häme
Two on-site training sessions on the mobile solution were held in each unit, and in addition, the staff had the possibility to participate in non-stop trainings. Separate training sessions were held for reserve staff, and during the go-live, members of the project team were present on-site to provide support and guidance as needed.
Monitoring to ensure the success of the new approach
Medanets Medication has received positive feedback from users and has proven to be easy to use. “Most nurses became familiar with the solution after just a few uses. Adopting the entire workflow naturally takes more time,” says Kivioja, who is responsible for the rollouts.
“To ensure user proficiency and successful adoption, medication records are systematically reviewed after the implementation to verify that medication administrations are accurately documented. If needed, follow-up visits are made to the wards to provide further guidance and support in using the solution.” In addition, adverse event reports will be used for monitoring. These reports will be used actively to evaluate the impact of the new approach on medication safety, and to compare the situation before and after the implementation of the solution.
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