Medicines Management in Irish Nursing Homes

Nursing homes must have correct and accurate information for all medicines administered to residents.

They get that information from IMF.

IMF is the only Ireland-specific, fully complete and independent medicines reference in Ireland.

It supports nursing homes in keeping within the law and maintaining national standards of care.

Developed specifically for nursing homes, IMF includes a Medicines Administration Safety Cycle to support nurses with the “10 Rights of Medication Administration”. During medicines administration, it provides clear reminders of all points needing to be checked for each patient and for each drug.

IMF includes safety, prescribing and administration details for each medicine licensed in Ireland. It includes all brands and all generics to avoid any confusion should a pharmacist introduce generic substitution of a patient’s medicine. Required dosing adjustments in elderly patients is made clear where appropriate.

IMF provides additional important information such as whether certain capsules can be safely opened, or tablets crushed for patients with swallowing difficulties. Any specific recommendations for taking medicines before, with or after food are highlighted If a medicine requires specific storage conditions, IMF makes this clear.

For nursing homes to have the most accurate medication information relevant to Ireland for all licensed drugs, IMF is essential.