Medication Management & Risk Reduction in Assisted LIving- 4CH

Course overview

Target audience This program is designed to provide skilled nurses with additional knowledge and tools to better manage their residents’ medications, thus reducing risks that can cause adverse incidents in assisted-living communities. Course overview This education activity will provide an overview of assisted-living, as well as provide readers with information that will help them understand important aspects of working in this health-care arena. Medication management in assisted-living communities is one of the major tasks presented to nurses. Improper management of medications can lead to polypharmacy, adverse incidents, inappropriate behaviors, injuries, long-term irreversible damage, and even death. This course will review the tools to properly manage medications, as well as information that will help the nurse train unlicensed staff so they can contribute to risk reduction. As the role of the nurse in assisted-living expands to include higher levels of care, the nurse must have a better understanding of how these levels of care affect the treatments provided. Learning objectives By the end of the course the learner should be able to: -Describe the basics, as well as the regulatory structure, of assisted living. -Cite where to access information regarding regulations and different levels of care within the learner’s state. -Summarize the role of unlicensed assistive personnel in the community. -Incorporate the tools reviewed in this course in order to provide meaningful education and training for all staff, as well as establish a comprehensive medication management plan for the community. -Assess and design a medication management plan that meets the individual needs of the residents they serve. -Identify the qualities of polypharmacy and adverse side effects, as well as which events to report. -Develop a risk-reduction plan that will reduce improper medication use.