Medications Level 2 (VTQ)
Course Content
- Introduction
- Legislation, Regulation and Policies
- Medications
- Classification of Medications
- POM and Controlled Medications - Pharmacist
- Types of Medications and Routes of Entry
- Medication Brand Names - Pharmacist
- Covert Medications
- Precautions and side effects
- Prescribing and Prescriptions
- Recording Information
- Storing Medication Safely
- Storage of Medications - Pharmacist
- Safe Disposal of Medication
- Disposing of Unwanted Medications - Pharmacist
- Medication expiry dates - Pharmacist
- Analgesics
- Administration of Medications
- Discussing Medication
- Summary
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Blister packs. They are called a medication distribution system. Basically what it is is an easier way for staff to administer their medication for their residents or for a family member and the process is followed by: Prescription goes to the chemist, and the chemist then would fill the prescription. As they are filling the prescription he will split the doses up into each day, so for example, Monday mornings. If the person has three tablets there will be 3 tablets in the blister pocket. If he has, if the person has say a medication at lunchtime, there will be one in that pocket, and if they have any evening medications or any further medications before bedtime, then the medication will be in the next row of pockets. So the process is, once they have been put in by the pharmacist, it will be checked by a second pharmacist, the labels will be placed on the package as well so you actually know in the morning, he has three tablets and you can actually correspond to the label which is provided by the pharmacist, and that tells you exactly what tablets are in that pocket. For administration purposes then, the member of staff or the family member will have a little pot that is hygienically cleaned each time and what they will do is, at the prescribed time, so Monday morning at 8 o'clock, they will find the blister pack, they will also have to use what is called a Medication Administration Record, which is a sheet which has all the medication again stated clearly on there, and for Monday morning AM, 8AM, they will find the pocket, find the MAR Sheet, and they will correspond each medication, and they will pop them into the hygienic little pot. And so they will put a dot on the MAR sheet to say that medication is in the pot for each three of the medication on the Monday morning. They will then take that to the person, administer the medication, come back and then they will put their initials on the MAR sheet to say that they have administered the medication. Blister pack is then safely stored away and depending on the environment, in a care home it is placed in a locked cabinet, and, if there is more than one person, they will then each have their own section of where the blister pack will be. Normally it comes in a twenty-eight-day cycle, so depending on the individual and how much medication they have, they may have one blister pack for Mondays, one blister pack for Tuesdays, one blister pack for Wednesdays. It all depends on how much medication the individual does take. When a blister pack is delivered to the service, it will be down to a member of staff to actually check, so they will actually go through each pocket and count how many tablets there should be. So if someone is taking two tablets a day of the same medication, so on a 28 day cycle, which is normally what a blister pack comes as, so 4 weeks worth of medication, there would be 2 tablets a day, so then time that by 7 which is 14, and then times that by 4 which is 56. Staff will count that there are 56 tablets. Then they will make sure that it is the right tablet, because normally there is a descriptive picture on the systems, and then they will go through each pocket and make sure the right tablets are in there. If there is at any time any errors, that is when we would go back to the pharmacy and say you have only supplied 54 tablets when there should be 56. So really it is down to the pharmacy has done their check, but as soon as it comes into the service, the staff would do their own check to make sure that there is the right amount of tablets, on the right days at the right times. So it is basically an audit round which is completed by staff. Once we have completely used the system, what happens is, normally the third week is when you would do your reorder, so that goes back then to the pharmacy, and also goes back to the GPs so they can get the prescriptions filled, and then we hopefully get the cycle a week before it finishes so we have always got an extra set before we finish and run out. And once the blister pack is completely finished, they get returned to the pharmacy. There are some other errors we have to consider when using a blister pack as well. When we are actually popping the tablets from the blister pack into the pot, if we were to drop one on the floor, that is a medication error, so what we would say within that is that tablet is then picked up and put back in an envelope with a description of the tablet written on it, the dosage, and the time it was supposed to be delivered. Then what we have to do is take the last in the cycle, so the very last tablet that is in the box, and actually use that at the right time. Then we would have to go back to the doctors, get a prescription for one tablet which then the pharmacist would then fill and send it back to use so then they would have the right amount of medication.
Blister Packs: A Guide to Medication Distribution
What are Blister Packs?
Definition and Purpose: Understanding the role of blister packs in medication management.
Blister packs serve as a convenient medication distribution system designed to simplify the administration process for staff caring for residents or family members.
How Blister Packs Work
Medication Preparation: Process of preparing and dispensing medications into blister packs.
- A prescription is sent to the chemist (pharmacy).
- The chemist fills the prescription and organises doses into daily compartments.
- Each day is divided into segments (e.g., morning, lunchtime, evening, bedtime).
- Medications are placed accordingly, ensuring ease of administration.
This system helps ensure that medications are organised and ready for administration according to prescribed schedules.