# Rural Aged Care Providers' Engagement in Medication Communication During Transitions of Care: A Qualitative Study

## TL;DR

The study explores how rural aged care providers communicate about medications during care transitions and identifies challenges and opportunities for improvement.

## Contribution

The paper provides new insights into medication communication practices and barriers in rural aged care settings, emphasizing the need for structured and collaborative approaches.

## Key findings

- Nurses play a central but reactive role in medication communication, with engagement varying based on resident and family capacity.
- Fragmented communication and systemic inefficiencies hinder safe and coordinated medication practices in rural aged care homes.
- Pharmacists and personal care assistants can contribute valuable insights but face challenges due to limited resources and isolation.

## Abstract

To explore how healthcare providers in rural aged care homes communicate about medications during transitions of care involving residents.

Two residential aged care homes in rural Australia.

Ten female healthcare providers including nurses, personal care assistants and pharmacists.

Qualitative exploratory study using semi‐structured interviews, analysed thematically, with engagement mapped via the Patient and Family Engagement Framework. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines were followed.

Two themes emerged from the interview data: (1) Providers' perceptions of medication communication roles and responsibilities, and (2) Providers' perceptions of challenges to engaging in medication communication. Nurses played a central but often reactive role, with resident and family engagement varying by capacity, proximity and interest. Personal care assistants and visiting pharmacists and personal care assistants contributed valuable safety and observational insights. Communication with other providers was fragmented and influenced by systemic and contextual inefficiencies.

Healthcare providers in rural aged care homes, particularly nurses, face challenges in medication communication during care transitions. Structured, collaborative strategies are needed to ensure consistent information sharing and proactive resident and family engagement, with opportunities to strengthen contributions from pharmacists and personal care assistants in supporting person‐centred care.

Residents in aged care homes frequently experience transitions of care, making them vulnerable to medication errors from communication breakdowns.Effective engagement and timely medication communication between healthcare providers, residents and families are critical but often suboptimal.Effective engagement and timely medication communication between healthcare providers, residents and families are critical but often suboptimal.Rural healthcare settings face unique challenges, including workforce shortages, geographic isolation, limited specialist access and resource constraints, which can hinder safe, coordinated medication communication.

Residents in aged care homes frequently experience transitions of care, making them vulnerable to medication errors from communication breakdowns.

Effective engagement and timely medication communication between healthcare providers, residents and families are critical but often suboptimal.

Effective engagement and timely medication communication between healthcare providers, residents and families are critical but often suboptimal.

Rural healthcare settings face unique challenges, including workforce shortages, geographic isolation, limited specialist access and resource constraints, which can hinder safe, coordinated medication communication.

Offers insights into how rural aged care providers engage in medication communication during residents' transitions of care.Reveals barriers such as fragmented systems, inconsistent communication and workforce shortages that hinder engagement and medication safety.Suggests opportunities to improve communication through structured information‐sharing and collaborative, person‐centred strategies.

Offers insights into how rural aged care providers engage in medication communication during residents' transitions of care.

Reveals barriers such as fragmented systems, inconsistent communication and workforce shortages that hinder engagement and medication safety.

Suggests opportunities to improve communication through structured information‐sharing and collaborative, person‐centred strategies.