Medicine communication from hospital to residential aged care facilities: a cross-sectional survey of aged care facility staff

Continuity of medicines management can be compromised when older people are transferred between hospital and residential aged care facilities.

This study explored medicines management practices at facilities during patients’ transfer of care from hospital, and staff experiences with medicines information handover from hospitals.

An electronic cross-sectional questionnaire sent to all residential aged care facilities within a metropolitan region in Australia, in February 2022. The questionnaire comprised 23 questions covering facilities’ profiles, medicines management practices, and medicines management at transfer of care from 2 public hospitals.

Of 53 listed facilities, 31 [58.5%] responded. Facilities varied in size ranging between < 50 and up to 200 beds. Twenty-seven [87.1%] facilities offered more than one level of care. Of those 27 facilities, 26 [96.3%] offered dementia care, and 23 [85.2%] offered palliative care. Six (19.4%) solely used hardcopy medication charts. Handover from hospitals to manage patients’ medicines at transfer was inconsistent with only 15 [48.4%] reporting consistently receiving appropriate documentation.

Residential aged care facilities varied in size and level of care. Diverse processes exist for medicines management. There is inconsistency in information received when residents transfer from hospital to facilities, potentially compromising patient safety.