subject: Unit Dose Packaging Helps Compliance [print this page] Unit dose packaging, according to rxinsider is the best dose packaging system for long term care. There's many reasons for their opinion of this dose system.
How is it that unit dose packaging has risen to prominence? It's because dose packaging systems provide advantages to the patient and, the pharmacy.
Unit dose packaging advantages include the fact that the medication is isolated and protected from contamination from other medications. The dose packaging system allows for the pharmacist to handle the medication and perform the count without exposing the unit dose to other medications. As far as handling, the unit dose packaging system allows the pharmacy to perform the count by scanning in a bar code. This speeds up the time needed to get the dose to the patient.
Unit dose packaging offers another advantage, should the long term care patient require going from one place to another, rxinsider reports that the packaging is much easier to take along for a short period of time, vacations, leaving a long term residence for a weekend, etc. Comparing unit dose packaging convenience with using a bottle, it's much easier to take along a dose packaging system instead of medication in bottles. When on long term care with a medication, it's much more convenient to leave a does packaging system at work too.
Yet another advantage of unit dose packaging is that medication can be forgotten to be administered. It's much easier to count the medication when it's in a blister packaging system to see if a patient may have forgotten to take the mediation. Comparing that to bottles, that's a time saver and an assurance. Especially when you're on long term care, it's easy to think you've taken your dose when really, it was the day before that you remember. The dose packaging system gives you a quick reference and count to make sure you're missing your unit dose.
Unit dose packaging also makes it easy to remember the quantity of the unit dose. When the unit dose style is used, there's little to have to remember from the pharmacy or the lid label cover. Just look at the packaging to see if the medication dose is there or not.
Unit dose packaging protects the sanitary conditions of the medication. If a person should keep their dose packaging systems near the kitchen sink, an errant amount of what ever is being washed in the sink will not get onto the medication. Not to mention the fact that unit dose packaging systems can also protect from other environmental conditions like light and moisture. This type of dose packaging system eliminates the need for silica gel to be inside of the medical packaging.
Unit dose packaging lends itself very well to evidence of tampering. If the medi dose packaging system indicates signs of tampering, it's evident right away. Score another point for unit dose packaging! Long term patients can keep the medication in their home without having to be leery of house guests who may help themselves to medication that may go unnoticed with traditional medical packaging. it's an added level of security.
Unit dose packaging makes it easy to check patient compliance and misuse of medication too. I always ask my pharmacy if unit dose packaging is an available option for my medical packaging.
