Understanding Medication Packaging Options for Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living
Medication packaging may seem like a small operational detail in long-term care, but for nurses, caregivers, and residents, it can have a significant impact. The right packaging system helps ensure medications are administered correctly, reduces the risk of errors, and gives clinical staff more time to focus on resident care instead of sorting and organizing medications.
According to the National Institute on Aging, medication errors are among the leading causes of preventable harm in long-term care. While no packaging system eliminates risk entirely, choosing the right solution can make daily medication administration more consistent, organized, and easier to manage.
The most common packaging options
Every long-term care facility and senior living community has unique needs, which is why it’s valuable to understand and evaluate the different medication packaging options available. Some of the most common include:
- Unit Dose Packaging: Medications are individually packaged and clearly labeled, helping staff identify and administer the correct medication at the appropriate time.
- Bingo Card Packaging: Individual doses are organized into easy-to-use cards, providing nursing staff with a clear, familiar system for managing medication passes.
- Multi-Dose Strip Packaging: Multiple medications scheduled for the same administration time are organized together in clearly labeled pouches, helping simplify medication passes and reduce sorting.
Facilities can benefit from different packages depending on their organizational model and needs. For example, skilled nursing facilities or assisted living facilities who administer multi-day doses in advance, can benefit from multi-dose strip packaging. However, at certain volumes, nursing teams can get overwhelmed which is where unit dosage or bingo card packaging can help with dosage increments which can assist caregivers as well. For facilities that want multi-dose packaging, on-site dispensing may be the best option because of the frequency of nightly dispensing which reduces the chances of medication errors.
At Friendship Pharmacy LTC, we encourage communities to think about how medication packaging meets the needs of both staff and residents. The best packaging system should fit naturally into the workflow of your nursing team while helping residents receive the right medication at the right time with fewer interruptions.
Where technology fits in
Technology can make that process even more efficient. Friendship Pharmacy LTC’s automated on-site medication dispensing technology can provide communities with immediate access to commonly needed and newly prescribed medications right inside their building. Depending on the community’s needs, medications can be dispensed using packaging designed to complement existing medication-management workflows.
This combination of on-site access and flexible medication packaging can help reduce delays associated with emergency deliveries, first doses, and unexpected medication changes. Instead of waiting for a medication to arrive from the pharmacy, nursing teams may be able to access what they need on-site, in packaging that is organized and ready to incorporate into their existing medication pass. The result is a faster, more streamlined process that can reduce disruptions for staff while helping residents receive medications when they need them.
“We spend a lot of time learning how each community operates before recommending a packaging solution. The goal isn’t to sell one type of packaging. It’s to make medication management easier for the people providing care every day.”
— Francis Rubino, CEO of Friendship Pharmacy LTC
Many Directors of Nursing also find that reviewing their medication packaging options on an annual basis can uncover opportunities to improve efficiency. As resident acuity changes, staffing challenges evolve, and new technology becomes available, a packaging system that worked well a couple of years ago may no longer be the best fit today.
Whether you’re opening a new community or simply evaluating your current pharmacy partnership, medication packaging is worth a closer look. A thoughtful approach can improve workflow, support resident safety, and make medication management easier for the caregivers who rely on it every day.
