How can the medication administration nurse safely identify residents who do not wear name bands, and why is this practice more common in long-term care?
Caring for nursing home residents can be quite different from caring for those in acute care. Facilities need to consider how best to keep their residents both safe and in a homelike setting.
A resident with cognitive impairment living in a memory care section may remove their name band, which another resident may then put on, thinking it’s a bracelet. As the name band helps identify the resident, this could result in a medication administration error.
Using pictures instead of name bands offers a good alternative. However, there are two common pitfalls of picture identification. First, the picture can become outdated. Secondly, taking the picture and adding it to all the designated places (MAR, TAR, chart or electronic health record) may take several days after admission/move-in. At the time of admission, the charge nurse is focused on identifying clinical needs of the new resident, as well as ongoing caregiving responsibilities for the residents already living in the facility.
One possible solution is to implement a process of obtaining a new picture upon admission and with every readmission. The person who welcomes the resident could be the one who takes the photo, so that the most recent and realistic picture of the resident is added to the eMAR or MAR, TAR, and chart as soon after admission as possible.
Next, develop a process to review and update photos regularly. This could align with the OBRA MDS schedule, which would be quarterly and upon significant changes. This keeps the picture updated and heps prevent confusion as the resident’s appearance changes over time.
