OASIS Alert

Teaching the patient about medications and medication management is as important to home care success as the assessment, says Patricia Jump, with Rice Lake, Wis.-based Acorn’s End Training & Consulting. When developing a patient teaching plan, be sure to cover these bases.

1. Identify any knowledge or skill deficit related to medications.
2. Identify limitations affecting teaching or response.
3. Develop and implement a teaching plan to correct or minimize medication knowledge or skill deficit.
4. Use the plan of care to support the medication teaching plan.
5. Document teaching interventions.
6. Evaluate and document response to and progress with identified knowledge or skill deficits.
7. Involve all staff in the medication review process.
8. Include the home health aide in your teaching and monitoring efforts. Have the aide ask two key questions on every visit:

• Have you started on any new medications since the last visit? AND
• Have you been to the ER or seen your physician since the last visit?

9. Clearly identify when the home health aide should alert the nurse.