Wellbeing services county of Kainuu implements Medanets Medication

After a successful pilot, the wellbeing services county of Kainuu decided to implement the Medanets Medication solution in almost the whole region. The county also extensively uses the other features of the Medanets app with the first implementations carried out as early as 2015.

The purpose of implementing the Medication solution was to improve medication safety. The wellbeing services county of Kainuu had previously agreed on a policy of making administration entries on any oral medication administered so that the medication information is up to date when the patient is transferred from one ward to another for further treatment, for example. The implementation of the mobile solution is one step closer to better medication safety and a closed loop medication process as it includes the electronic identification of the nurse and the patient.

“The use of Medanets Medication as a tool for administration entries will improve patient safety and streamline the activities as it enables the electronic identification of the patient as well as quick access to the list of medications, whenever necessary. Because of the electronic identification, we recommend using the app for administration entries instead of a computer,” says Sirpa Parkkisenniemi, Service Unit Director for ward care in specialised healthcare.

Administration entries matter for various reasons

The Medanets Medication solution will support the new medication process of the wellbeing services county of Kainuu, in which administration entries are made on all medication administered. With the solution, the process starts with the electronic identification of the patient to ensure that the medication record of the correct patient is displayed. The number of mobile devices is sufficient and they fit in the nurses’ pockets. The app makes it quick and easy to check the medication record without having to carry a heavy laptop. The app quickly shows the medication already administered to the patient, making it also easy to assess the effectiveness of a painkiller at the same time, for example. If the patient asks for more painkillers, the app immediately shows which type of painkiller can be administered to the patient in question and when it was last administered. Up-to-date administration entries also make it possible to confirm the medication administered to the patient on the ward when, for example, receiving customer feedback on the patient’s medication.

Multiprofessional cooperation contributes to a successful pilot

The preparations for the pilot of the Medanets Medication solution in the wellbeing services county were carried out in multiprofessional cooperation. Medanets provided support and materials for the implementation of and training in the solution. “Medanets offers an excellent, illustrative training package which we can tap into whenever necessary. We also find Medanets’ follow-up reports on the use of the solution quite beneficial as they show us in practical terms how the implementation is proceeding. The reports encourage the units to use Medanets Medication as they show that other people are also using it,” says Parkkisenniemi.

The pilot came to a successful conclusion in early 2023, resulting in the decision to implement the Medanets Medication solution in multiple wards of Kainuu Central Hospital as well as in the health centre hospitals of Kuhmo, Sotkamo and Suomussalmi. Wards A and B of Kainuu Central Hospital have already been using the solution seamlessly since the pilot, in other words, for more than six months. “We aim for 100% administration entries of medication. We are investing in continued training as it really contributes to making the personnel committed to using the solution. Feedback from the field reveals that the solution is easy to use once you learn it, but contact instruction is still needed. We are appointing nurses in charge of induction for this purpose,” says Parkkisenniemi. To support the medication process, the hospitals are also improving their IT connections. The Medanets app also works in offline mode if the mobile network is unavailable, but in terms of the Medication solution, the use of offline mode is restricted for security reasons.

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