What is a MAR Chart?

What information should be on a MAR Chart?

Details contained on a MAR chart include:

• Patient details – full name, date of birth, address, weight (if a child or frail elderly person)
• Known allergies and type of reaction experienced
• Start date and stop date
• Medication name
• Strength
• Dosage
• How often medication is given
• Time and route of administration
• Special instructions on how the medication should be taken and
• Signature of the person who administered it

9 Need To Know Things About a MAR Chart

We’ve broken down 9 things every domiciliary home care agency should know about MAR charts:

1. Legal Requirement: MAR charts are a legal requirement in the UK for any care setting, including home care businesses. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the regulator for home care providers in England. Their guidelines demand that you maintain proper records of medication administration, and failure to do so could land you in some serious hot water! In other words, MAR charts could be presented in court if there were any disputes or issues regarding a client’s medication.

2. Accuracy is Vital: The information on the MAR sheet must be accurate and updated as soon as the medication has been given. Every single dose, whether it’s oral, topical, or injectable must be documented. Any errors or omissions could have serious consequences for your client’s health as well as harming the reputation of your home care business. The standard principles used to minimise medication administration errors, are outlined by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and follow the six “R”s to the letter:

• Right patient
• Right drug
• Right dose
• Right formulation
• Right route
• Right to refuse

3. Individualised for Each Client: Each client will need their own personalised MAR Chart. That means you’ll need to create and maintain a separate chart for each person you’re caring for, listing all their medications, including specific instructions from the doctor, allergies, over-the-counter medicine, supplements and even herbal remedies. Maintenance of this crucial document is made much easier using an electronic MAR (eMAR) system. Many home care providers use digital MAR charts now because they receive alerts for missed doses, store information more efficiently, reduce human error and are easier to update.

4. Verification is Key: Before dishing out any medication, home caregivers must cross-check the MAR chart with the medication label three times: when retrieving it, when preparing it, and before giving it to the patient. Triple-checking the right documentation, right reason and right response, can help prevent medication mix-ups and spot medications that don’t play nicely with each other.

5. Privacy and Confidentiality: MAR charts contain sensitive patient information. It’s essential to maintain strict privacy and confidentiality standards when handling these records, complying with UK GDPR data protection laws. Invest in secure storage to ensure only authorised people have access to these records (we’d recommend digital storage of course!).

6. Training Your Staff: Your home care team is your frontline in medication administration. Make sure all your caregivers are well trained in using MAR charts. This involves understanding the chart’s format, how to document medication, potential side effects, and what to do in case of errors or discrepancies. Proper training (including refreshers) can prevent headaches down the road.

7. Regular Audits: Like anything in life, mistakes do happen. Regular random checks and audits of your MAR charts can help catch these errors and identify any issues that need to be addressed.

8. Communication with Healthcare Professionals: Medications change over time. What your client takes today might not be the same next month. If there’s a change in medication, the doctor prescribes something new, or the client’s condition changes, make sure everyone involved is informed and on the same page. Keeping the MAR chart up to date and accurate is key at all times.

9. Responsibility and Accountability: Responsibility for medication administration should be assigned to specific caregivers to ensure accountability. This way, each caregiver will know which clients they are responsible for medicating. Every time medication is administered, the caregiver’s signature or initial needs to be added to the MAR chart. This creates a clear record of who gave what, making it much easier to trace back if something goes pear shaped.

To sum up, why is the MAR Chart so important? In a nutshell, it’s all about safety. In a home care setting, where patients are more independent and not always under a carer’s watchful eye, the MAR chart is a safety net that protects the well-being of your clients, while keeping you on the right side of the law. Just remember to keep it personal, document everything and prioritise training and communication within your home care teams.

Person Centred Care Software

Since 2000, Tagtronics have been trusted to help hundreds of home care companies to care better. By providing user friendly, innovative, person-centred care software that mirrors the way your teams like to work, we’ve helped to improve efficiency, reduce costs, save time and minimise errors.

“Tagtronics offered everything we needed, in one easy to use system, at a very reasonable cost.”

– Fay Howell, ProFad Care Agency

Want a demo of our Electronic MAR Chart? Call us on 01254 819 205 or email howcanwehelp@tagtronics.co.uk