Conclusions about eMAR
During the course of our three-month series on eMAR, we’ve looked at the advantages, objections and requirements for an electronic system in the context of assisted living communities.
The advantages are clear. eMAR helps increase the level of care we are able to provide our residents. It protects them by ensuring the five rights of care and preventing errors in administering and recording medications, updates and changes. It helps prevent your staff from making mistakes and saves them valuable time.
The two main keys to making the transition to eMAR smooth and successful are:
1. Work with your pharmacy.
We can’t emphasize this one enough. There are many eMAR systems out there and the system you choose must integrate directly with your pharmacy. Chances are good they already have integrations set up with several different systems, which will save you the time it takes to build an integration from scratch. Your pharmacy will also be aware of the many eMARs on the market and be able to tell you which one would best serve the unique needs of your community.
Once you’ve decided on a system, your pharmacy might also train your staff, saving you a bundle on the high training fees of eMAR providers. If you’re thinking about eMAR or have even taken steps toward switching to eMAR, get your pharmacy involved right away.
2. Commit.
eMARs use a familiar interface, but the digital aspect causes anxiety for a lot of new users. You will likely hear objections to making the change, but once you choose a system, stand behind it with the full support of your leadership and your community will make it through the transition. Your leaders should learn the system themselves first and then help keep the eyes of your staff on all the benefits of completing the transition—including training. Only with this buy in will you be able to persevere with implementation until your community is reaping all the benefits of eMAR.
You can review all the articles in this series with the links below. And if you have any questions or just want to share your experience with eMAR, let us know!
Get a free eMAR consultation
Mercury Pharmacy Services has been working with communities to implement eMAR since 2010. Each community has its own unique needs and we can help you determine the best solution for yours. Contact us for a free consultation. We will evaluate your community and recommend the best products on the market suited to your individual situation with no obligation.
Call us at 425.673.5200 or send us an email at eMARinfo@mercuryrx.com.