title: Improving oral medication management in home health agencies.
abstract: This study focused on home health agency characteristics and evidence-based practices that could have an impact on the ability to improve the home health outcome-based quality improvement measure: improvement in the management of oral medications. The findings of this Quality Improvement Organization-approved study suggest that there are organizational characteristics and evidence-based practices associated with better rates for this outcome measure. Organizational characteristics include belonging to a healthcare system that is hospital based, not-for-profit part of a network focused on quality, and intentionally working on the oral medications outcome. Evidence-based practices include use of reminder strategies, phone follow-up interventions, repeat patient education about medications at subsequent home care visits, and use of medication simplification strategies for patients receiving multiple medications.
authors.affiliation: Stratis Health, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. jshearer@stratishealth.org
authors.forename: Janelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shearer
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000458:organization & administration; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D018574:Home Care Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008910:Minnesota; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019338:Polypharmacy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States