Greater focus on the client at Buurtzorg Nederland

In elderly care, it is more important than ever to provide proper support for healthcare professionals. Digital solutions can help them work faster and more efficiently, leaving more time for personal attention and providing good-quality care to clients.

Elderly care has changed significantly in recent years. People are living longer and continuing to live independently in their own homes. This means that care is increasingly shifting from centralised locations such as care homes to clients’ own homes. District nursing plays a crucial role in this. Healthcare professionals support people in their own homes with a range of care tasks, such as personal care and nursing. Buurtzorg Nederland is one organisation that plays a key role in this.

Self-managing teams

“Buurtzorg Nederland was founded in 2006 as a national organisation for district nursing,” explains Daniëlle Gérard, administrative project support officer and manager of ZorgDomein and Point and other systems, at Buurtzorg Nederland. “We work with small, self-managing teams, each of which is responsible for its own district. These teams manage their own scheduling, staffing and tasks within clear guidelines. As the point of contact for both internal colleagues and external parties, I act as a bridge between our healthcare staff and healthcare solution providers.”

Personal care

“At Buurtzorg, the focus is always on the client,” says Daniëlle. “Our district nurses help people with tasks such as washing, getting dressed, wound care and medication management. They also play an important role in areas such as dementia case management. District nurses support people with dementia and their families throughout the course of the illness and assist them with practical matters that arise along the way. The starting point is always the same: first, we look at the person and their situation. From there, we determine what is needed to provide good-quality care.”

Improved support

To ensure it can continue to provide this type of healthcare effectively, Buurtzorg Nederland is constantly looking for ways to support its staff. “We mainly work on a demand-driven basis,” explains Daniëlle. “If several teams express a need for a particular solution, we’ll look into how we can facilitate it. This is how the need for a better way of registering the administration of medication arose.”

Following an assessment of the options and a pilot scheme, a large number of the Buurtzorg teams opted for Enovation Medimo’s Medication Administration registration system. Daniëlle explains, “As well as the app being user-friendly, it’s also nice to have a single point of contact. The lines of communication are short, which makes contact very straightforward.”

Healthcare in practice

One of the healthcare professionals using Medication Administration is Maike Cornelissen, a district nurse at Buurtzorg Doetinchem. She visits clients in their homes every day as part of her rounds. What Maike finds particularly rewarding about her work is the personal connection she has with her clients. “Because we visit people in their own homes, you literally get very close to them and build a strong bond. It’s great when you leave someone feeling happy and content. That really gives you a sense of fulfilment.”

Tools

To do her job properly, Maike uses a range of tools, depending on the care requirements. “Consider, for example, a blood pressure monitor, a pulse oximeter, a glucose meter, aids for compression stockings and mobility aids such as a walking frame.”

“We also use a smartphone or tablet for reporting and registering medication. We use the Enovation Medimo app for medication administration. In the app, we can see each client’s medication, including how often it should be taken and at what dosage. When administering, we can sign off each medication as having been taken. This helps us to administer medication safely and keep accurate records. It really gives you the chance to take your time with the client, go through everything calmly and sign it off.”

Checklists

In the past, the teams at Buurtzorg Nederland used paper checklists. According to Maike, that presented a number of challenges. “We had to manually keep track of whether medication had been taken, which was time-consuming and prone to errors. We were also busy with paperwork for a long time after the care visit.”

The switch to Medication Administration has significantly changed that. “The Medication Administration app is much clearer and gives us greater confidence that the information is correct, as it is directly linked to the pharmacy. It also saves us a lot of time on administration, and it makes it easier to see whether each client has received their medication during your rounds.”

Community nurse Maike Cornelissen of Buurtzorg Nederland assists a client with taking their medication.

Peace of mind and safety

According to Maike and her colleagues, the benefits are immediately noticeable. “We work independently a lot and are often out and about on our own. It is important that we can rely on the information we have. With the app, we can be sure that we’re working safely and effectively. What’s more, new colleagues quickly learn how to use the system. You get used to it in no time because it’s so user-friendly.”

More time for what really matters

Thanks to Enovation Medimo’s Medication Administration, the teams at Buurtzorg Nederland have more time to spend with their clients. Less paperwork means more personal attention during the actual care visit, and that is ultimately what community nursing is all about.

Are you interested in finding out more about the options Medication Administration offers? Please feel free to contact us for more information or to arrange an introductory meeting.