Primary Health Care: Open Access

Role of Homecare Team in Medication Handling and Administration

Fahad Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi^{* *}Correspondence: Fahad Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, Member of the Saudi Society for Palliative Care Pharmacy Department, Medical Services-MOI, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email:

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Introduction

Home Health Care Aides (HCAs) may have no professional qualifications for medication administration. However, the task can be delegated to them. This was originally meant to be only on a temporary basis, but most of the HCAs within social services today are handling medications in their daily work [1]. Pharmacists provide a wide range of medications, along with health team, for patients at home. Traditionally, community pharmacists have been viewed as providers of prescription and non-prescription medications administered orally.

In case of Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN), roles of the pharmacist are important from the viewpoint of drug therapy. In the hospital, patients are to be shifted to home medical care under the adequate guidance by the cooperation between the clinical pharmacists and home medical care pharmacists [2]. A separate home support pharmacy should be available. The medications should be prepared for homecare according to the home support physician prescription. In the following steps:

• Profile checking

• Profiling preparing

• Checking before delivery

• Delivering

• Checking after delivery

Most of institutions limit their medication check up to the stage before delivery. In fact, during and after delivery, medicine may be exposed to bad storage or damage. So, it is important to check it. The role of home nurse in drug administration, is to help people and care givers with practical ways of scheduling, planning, and administering medication as independently as possible. Nurses can reach out to dispensing pharmacists, general physicians, and specialists to optimize medicine use.

The five steps of the nursing process are:

• Assessment

• nursing diagnosis and planning

• establishing goals for care

• interventions

• evaluation as it is applied to medication

They should be expert in the correct way of administering capsules, extend release tablets. Solutions either orally or via a tube. Moreover, parenteral preparations can be either made by the following steps:

• Through Intravenous injections

• Through Intramuscular Injections

The other following steps:

• Subconsciously

• Dermatological creams

• Oral or nasal inhalation

• Eye and ear preparations

• Vaginal creams

• Vaginal/rectal creams and suppositories

• Throat lozenges

• Eye/ ear preparations

The role of homecare givers is:

• Assisting with personal care: bathing and grooming, dressing, toileting, and exercise.

• Basic food preparation: preparing meals, shopping, housekeeping, laundry, and other errands.

• General health care: overseeing medication and prescriptions usage, appointment reminders and administering medicines.

The role of caregivers in medication administration includes medication management, organization, and administration. They need to be updated with medication lists, change in medication, dosage changes, side effects, and drug interactions [3]. Caregivers should also monitor expiry dates and physical changes in preparations. In conclusion, the whole homecare team should be aware of administering medication to the homecare receivers.

References

1. Harris, Marilyn D et al. Handbook of home health care administration. “Jones Bartlett Learn.”, 2005.

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2. Walus,et al. "Impact of pharmacists in a community-based home care service: a pilot program." Can. j. hosp. pharm. 70.6 (2017): 435.

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3. Birchenall,et al. Mosby's textbook for the home care aide. Elsevier Health Sci., 2012.

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