Clinical Manager helps residential aged care providers Australia-wide improve the way they manage administrative processes and provide resident care.
Medication Management helps residential aged care providers improve workflow efficiencies and better manage the medication administration process.
Yvonne Donaldson, RFBI’s Clinical System Educator
Documentation is now much less onerous, as information is collected via a tablet device at the time an incident occurs, when care is being delivered and to capture information relating to medication administration. With the device handy, staff take photos of residents’ wounds to track their improvement which is stored directly in the software. This has now become an expected part of care delivery for residents: recently when changing a wound dressing for a resident, she explained to me that staff show her photos so that she can also track the progress of the wound. Her expectation was to see visual proof of how it was improving right there and then.
We have a wide range of age groups within our staff mix and some older staff were a little reluctant at first as they had never used a tablet device before. We wanted something that was user friendly and simple to use. We decided on iPad Airs as a lot of staff were familiar with iPhones and therefore had an understating of the functionality. iPad Airs are light to carry and large enough to view and write notes. We were aware they were more fragile so we did our research and found a suitable stand and cover to protect them when being used alongside care delivery.
We have 24 villages in NSW and ACT with many rural and remote. We wanted to ensure there were no Wi-Fi blackspots before implementation, so our IT team inspected the infrastructure to confirm there would be no issues. We then implemented the technology at one site at a time. This involved holding a three-hour training session at each facility that covered the basics, such as turning the device on and charging it, writing notes, checking a chart and doing a mock medication round. After the training had been completed, we ensured we had additional support available at the facility on the day the software launched.
Having practical training sessions where staff could be hands on with the tablet devices made a real difference because they could see it wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be – in fact it was actually quite simple. We also paired up less confident users with a “village champion” who they could go to if they had any questions.
We have been using iPads for over 12 months and we haven’t had one damaged, broken or missing. We also installed device manager software so we could update all devices at one time, ensure staff don’t accidentally delete any apps from the device, and also track where the device is so we know if it leaves a facility.
It’s been lovely to see that the devices have enabled staff to spend more one on one time with residents. Staff now make a choice to sit with the residents to write their notes, rather than having to return to a nurse’s station to type them up. Our team works in aged care because they value personal interaction and want to spend their time caring for others – rather than sitting behind a desk doing paper work – so it has been a big positive for them. Our residents also enjoy the extra time they now have to chat to staff as they enter information.
Our biggest benefit is definitely being able to capture what’s happening in the moment of care delivery without having to leave the resident. This process enables staff to complete any required documentation whilst providing ongoing support and interaction. It’s changed the way we work for the better.
The is a case study only. Results will vary depending on circumstantial organisational factors, including efficient organisation implementation, and the number of modules available and implemented by the client.
Telstra Health’s Message Manager software has helped Donwood Community Aged Care Services to quickly and easily communicate with resident's loved ones.
Medication Management’s MedMobile app helped Villa Maria Catholic Homes to streamline medication rounds and reduce the volume of missed medications.
Latvian Friendly Society implemented Telstra Health’s full residential aged care software suite to help support their continuum of care.
Telstra Health’s Message Manager software has helped Donwood Community Aged Care Services to quickly and easily communicate with resident's loved ones.
Medication Management’s MedMobile app helped Villa Maria Catholic Homes to streamline medication rounds and reduce the volume of missed medications.
Latvian Friendly Society implemented Telstra Health’s full residential aged care software suite to help support their continuum of care.
Telstra Health acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
