The Future of Long-Term Care: Integrating Pharmaceutical and Technological Advancements

By Lesley Barton is the National Clinical and Training Manager at Bunzl & AMHC

Long-term care (LTC) is at a turning point. As the population ages and chronic health conditions increase, the demand for high-quality healthcare services continues to grow. Traditional care methods are struggling to keep up, but advancements in medical science and technology offer promising solutions.

Integrating pharmaceutical and technology advancements can help manage medications effectively, track patient status remotely, provide better-quality treatment, and control spending.

This article will discuss how new technologies are changing LTC care and suggest practical ways to use them in patient care.

Understanding the Challenges in Long-Term Care

The present long-term care system deals with many problems that put pressure on healthcare facilities and worsen patients' lives. Key obstacles include:

Chronic Disease Management

Most long-term care facilities care for residents with long-term health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and heart disease. The ongoing care of these medical conditions needs regular tracking and unique treatment plans. They also need proper medicine control, which is hard to handle in regular healthcare systems.

Incontinence Management

Many elderly residents in long-term care facilities experience different incontinence problems, which health providers often fail to address correctly. Incontinence is the unconscious loss of bladder or bowel control. This condition can significantly impact patient dignity and quality of life.

Workforce Shortages

The number of people seeking LTC professionals grows faster than the number of new professionals who can join the field. According to WHO research, the LTC sector will experience more health worker shortages than any other part of healthcare by 2030. The lack of staff members reduces patient care standards and makes healthcare workers more tired.

Rising Healthcare Costs

It costs too much money to deliver top-quality care services to older people 24 hours a day. In 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) tracked healthcare expenses, which hit $4.8 trillion.

CMS predicts that healthcare spending nationwide will total $6.8 trillion by 2030. Our new solutions need to balance affordable operations with top-quality patient care.

Advancing Long-Term Care with Pharmaceutical and Technological Innovations

Modern pharmaceutical breakthroughs and technical innovations help improve medical tests while providing better ways to treat and manage healthcare in LTC facilities. Some of those innovations include:

Smart Medication Management Systems

Machine-driven medicine dispensers, AI tracking support, and smart pillboxes help reduce the chances of giving patients the wrong medications. Such medical devices send immediate alerts to help patients receive the correct medicines promptly. The result? Reduced hospital visits and improved medicine-taking habits.

Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

Healthcare providers use telehealth services to manage long-term care. They perform virtual sessions, monitor health status, and adjust medical treatments.

Wearable medical devices like ECG monitors and glucose sensors help patients track their health in real time. These devices share data instantly, allowing healthcare providers to monitor conditions and detect issues early. As a result, patients receive timely interventions, reducing the need for emergency care.

Best Practices for Integrating Pharma and Technology in Long-Term Care

Healthcare providers must combine technology and medication use to enhance long-term care results. Here are best practices to guide healthcare providers in this transition.

Implement AI-Driven Decision Support Systems

Healthcare administrators should use AI-based tools to spot medical issues early on. These tools also help with medicine handling and patient resource use. The system uses AI to identify patient requirements, which lets healthcare centers better staff their teams and prevent unnecessary hospital stays.

Leverage Electronic Health Records (EHR) for Interoperability

Healthcare providers achieve better communication when they interconnect their EHR systems. Shared health information systems let care teams send up-to-date patient updates on treatment plans and drug changes to stop repetition and mistakes.

Adopt Automated Medication Dispensing Systems

Long-term care facilities need to use automated medication systems to protect patients and make their operations run better. The new technology devices support better medicine handling while lowering mistakes and letting caregivers see how well patients follow their treatment schedules.

Prioritize Training and Digital Literacy for Caregivers

New technology works best when staff members receive proper training and fully understand its benefits to them. LTC facilities need to teach their caregivers how to use digital technology, including AI tools, telehealth systems, and electronic prescribing systems and properly communicate how it can alleviate certain workplace burdens.

Establish Telehealth Protocols for Continuous Monitoring

Establishing set telehealth guidelines helps achieve better remote monitoring results. Facilities should set clear rules for virtual health checks, emergency care, and chronic disease management. This helps patients receive better care while avoiding unnecessary hospital visits.

Utilize Wearable Health Devices for Early Intervention

Wearable technology serves as an essential tool for long-term care delivery. The ECG smartwatch tracks heart rate while checking oxygen levels and physical movements. Early tracking devices show unusual patterns so caregivers can prevent problems from worsening.

A Bright Future for Long-Term Care: Advancing with Technology and Pharmaceuticals

Medication and technical tools are changing the delivery of long-term care. These new technologies help healthcare facilities hire more staff, making patients safer and saving money.

Current healthcare developments include artificial intelligence's analysis of treatments, smart medication refill systems, and personalized medicine, which enable better clinical outcomes today.

According to a WHO report, the global senior citizen population is expected to double by 2050, reaching 2.1 billion. The growing number of older patients will push healthcare systems to adopt more digital and pharmaceutical technologies.

Healthcare leaders should start using modern solutions today to handle the increasing demands. Using AI with telehealth and medication monitoring technology improves care quality at reduced prices with healthier patients.

Conclusion

The field of long-term care needs new medical treatments and advanced medical equipment to develop. The current problems include short staffing shortages, unsafe medications, and numerous patients with chronic conditions. Modern medical technology and digital healthcare methods bring better patient care.

Healthcare providers must act now. Success in healthcare relies on proven approaches and effective collaboration. Putting resources into these solutions helps to enhance patient care. The goal is for facilities to move from responding to preventing health issues. This change will create better lives for people who are growing older.

About: Lesley Barton - National Clinical and Training Manager at Bunzl & AMHC

Lesley Barton Lesley Barton is the National Clinical and Training Manager at Bunzl & AMHC, with over 40 years of healthcare experience. A Registered Nurse, Midwife, and Continence Nurse Specialist, she transitioned into healthcare sales and management, leading education in continence, wound care, and medical consumables. She serves as a Board Director at the Continence Foundation of Australia and founded the Clinical Care Connections (CCC) program, playing a key role in developing Atlas McNeil Healthcare?s education and training initiatives to support best practices in clinical care.