The Use of Medication Dispensers in Residential Care Homes

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of medication dispensers by caregivers in residential care homes would improve medication administration. The sample included 27 caregivers of 78 individuals receiving 191 prescribed medications. Caregivers were randomly divided into two groups. The control group, using traditional medication administration methods, included 13 caregivers who supervised 111 regularly scheduled medications to 4 6 patients. The experimental group, using the 7-day medication dispenser, included 14 caregivers who administered 80 medications to 32 patients. Medication administration and error rate were observed for three consecutive weeks for each caregiver. The results showed that the control group had 149 errors compared with 30 errors by the experimental group. A chi-square analysis showed that the proportion of individuals who were given their medications correctly (without duplications or omissions) was significantly greater for the medication dispenser group than for the control group (p < .01). The increased accuracy of the caregivers using the medication dispenser occurred during the second and third weeks of study. The findings were confounded by a difference between caregiver groups in the number of residents per home. The majority of caregivers thought that the medication dispensers were easier to use, less time consuming, and more convenient than the traditional medication bottle method.