What is eMAR?  

eMAR (Electronic Medication Administration Record) is essentially an electronic version of those annoying paper MAR charts you currently have to complete every time you give/ offer/ prompt someone to take medications. It replaces those paper MAR charts with a digital copy, providing real-time information and transforming how medications are administered and managed in your healthcare settings. This in turn brings greater efficiency and accuracy to the medication administration process, improving residents/ people you supports safety and care quality in healthcare settings.

Whilst there are many benefits to the implementation of eMAR some of the most widely recognised include reductions in medication administration errors/ missed medications, improved workflow efficiency and improved residents/ people you supports quality of care.

How does eMAR work?  

EMAR simplifies medication management in social care. It stores prescriptions, and medication details for those you support enabling care workers to access and check scheduled doses on computers or mobile devices. When it’s time for medication, care workers confirm personal details, administer the medication, and instantly record the process in the system. eMARs provide alerts for missed doses or conflicting medications and generate reports to monitor adherence. They integrate with electronic health records, ensuring smooth information flow across healthcare systems, ultimately promoting residents/ people you supports safety and efficiency in medication management.

What did people use before eMAR? 

Before eMAR, managing medication in social care relied on a manual process. Social care professionals maintained paper-based records, manually documenting each administered dose and transcribing handwritten prescriptions. They would meticulously cross-reference details before giving medication, relying on paper records for information about the people they support. Accessing comprehensive data was time-consuming, and communication between providers relied heavily on paper-based methods. These manual processes carried risks of errors, inefficiencies, and delays in accessing real-time information about those in their care. The introduction of eMAR transformed medication administration in social care, digitising records and improving accuracy, efficiency, and communication among providers.

Top Three Benefits of eMAR:  

• Reduced Medication Errors 
• Improved Efficiency and Workflow 
• Enhanced Medication Management  

To read more about eMAR, check out our eMAR Deep Dive: Features and Benefits article.

You can find all eMAR solutions here.