The Medication Management feature in ShiftCare allows you to create, track, and review medications and medication plans for clients. This ensures accurate administration, compliance, and visibility for both carers and admins.
⚠️ Before you set up Medication Management — read this:
ShiftCare's medication feature is a tool for logging that medications have been given. It is not the doctor's medication chart.
The doctor's signed medication chart (or the pharmacy-issued medication list / Webster pack profile) is the official record of what your client should be taking. That document is always the source of truth.
Before adding any medications to a client's profile in ShiftCare:
Upload the official medication document to the client's Documents section.
Make it visible to carers by turning on the 'visible to carers' toggle when uploading.
Make sure your carers know to check the official document before administering any medication — the medication list inside ShiftCare is for prompting and logging only, not for deciding what to give.
If the doctor or pharmacy updates the medication list, upload the new version straight away and update the medication plan in ShiftCare to match.
📝 Note: This feature is available on Premium plans only.
Enabling Medication Management
This feature must be enabled before it can be used.
Navigate to Account > Feature Settings.
Click 'Edit' in the Medication Management section.
Toggle 'Enable eMAR Medication Management' on and click 'Save'.
If your organisation handles group shifts, use the 'Required for' dropdown menu to choose between: All shifts or Only single-client shifts*.
A confirmation pop-up window will appear. Click 'OK'.
Once enabled, the eMar Medication Management section will appear in the sidebar menu as Medications.
*If 'All shifts' is selected, carers on group shifts will see a client selection screen in their mobile app to log medications for each individual client.
Managing Medications
You can add medications in the Medication Management page.
Note: For all new accounts, a default 'Webster Pack' medication is automatically created and published to save time during setup.
You can add medications in the Medication Management page individually, or use the Import CSV function to upload your medication list in bulk.
Adding a Medication
Click 'New Medication'.
Enter the medication details in the pop-up window. The system uses context-aware options, which means the available routes and strength units will dynamically adjust based on the form you select.
Here are the sections to fill out:
Medication Name: Generic or official name of the medication
Brand Name: Commercial or brand name used on packaging (Both the generic and brand names will be displayed to carers on the mobile app to ensure safety and clarity)
Form: The physical form of the medication
Default Route: The usual way the medication is administered
Strength Value and Unit: Enter the numeric strength (decimals are supported). For liquid or topical forms (e.g., Oral liquid, Eye drops), you can add multiple strengths and specify the Strength per Volume (e.g., 125mg per 5mL).
Schedule Class: The legal or regulatory classification of the medication
Notes (Optional): Any additional details or special instructions
Body Chart (Optional): Includes a body chart to record medication placement
Click 'Save as Draft' to save incomplete information and come back to it later. If all required fields are correct, click 'Save and Publish' to make it available for use in Care Plans immediately.
Note: Once a medication is published, it cannot be edited.
The status of the medication can be seen in the list. Click 'Edit', then 'Save and Publish' or click 'Publish' directly from the list to publish the medication.
Clicking a medication name opens a window displaying its details. You can also archive the medication from here.
CSV Import
To save time, you can import multiple medications at once using a CSV file rather than adding them manually.
Click 'CSV Import'.
Click 'Download Import Medication Template' to get the correctly formatted spreadsheet.
Fill out the required rows in the template. Please make sure your data is in the correct format and that the Medication Form and Route are compatible to prevent upload errors. Please refer to our CSV Import Format Reference Guide for a complete list of supported formats before uploading your file.
Drag and drop the completed CSV file into the box, or click the box to select the file.
A preview list of your medications will appear. Review the details, click 'Import Now', and wait for the process to finish.
Duplicating Medications
To save time, you can click 'Duplicate' on an existing published medication to copy its details. You will be able to edit details before publishing.
Archiving and Restoring Medications
Use the Archive option to remove a medication from active use.
Click 'Archive' corresponding to the medication you want to remove from the list. Confirm the action.
Archived medications can be viewed from the ellipsis menu. Click 'View Archived Medications'.
Select 'Unarchive' to restore a medication. Confirm the action.
Page Interface
In the Medication Management page, you can search medications by name, use the up and down button icons to rearrange the list, and adjust pagination to control how many medications are displayed per page.
Client Medication Plans
Each client can have their own Medication Plan. Currently, only admin users can manage client Medication Plans.
Navigate to Clients > List and click on the name of the client.
Open the Medication Plans tab.
Click 'Add Medication Plan'.
Fill out the sections in the pop-up window. These sections include:
The medication name you added to the Medication Management page
Start and End (optional) dates
Instructions for administering the medication
Condition: e.g. Before Food, After Food, etc.
Review Date
Frequency: As Needed (PRN), Per Shift, Daily, Weekly, Monthly (If you select 'Per Shift', a separate loggable task will be created for every single shift. If you select 'As Needed (PRN)', carers will see a dedicated PRN screen in their app with dose counters and max dose limits)
Volume
Intended Time: You can choose between Any Time of day, a Specific Time (can be multiple), or a Time Range (can be multiple)
Tick the checkbox if you want to include the medication as a task for carers to complete in shifts
Digital Signature Requirements: Toggle this on if you require the carer or family member (Administrator) or a Witness to sign off on the mobile app before the dose is recorded. Controlled substances default to 2 signatures (requirements may vary by region).
If enabled, the medication task will appear on the eMAR Medications tab in the shift details page.
Click 'Save'.
Editing and Deactivating Medication Plans
You can edit a medication plan by clicking 'Edit' corresponding to the correct plan. This will open the edit page. Click 'Update' after making the necessary changes.
Remove the medication plan by clicking 'Deactivate'. This will remove it from all associated shifts.
You can reactivate the medication plan by clicking 'Activate'.
Reviewing Medication Plans
The review process will be available on the review date that has been set.
Click 'Review' to open the medication review window.
Select 'Mark as Reviewed' to complete the review.
A checkmark will be displayed once the medication plan has been reviewed.
Recording Medication Wastage
When administering medication via the app, staff members can track Medication Spillage/Wastage.
Partial Wastage: Requires the wasted amount, administered amount, a reason code, and free-text notes detailing how it was spilled/wasted.
Full Wastage: Requires a reason code and notes.
Staff members must confirm that the wastage details are accurate before finalising the administration record.
Medication Reporting and Insights
The Medication Reports provide a comprehensive overview of eMAR adherence, client usage, and administration history.
These reports can be found by navigating to Reports > Report Hub from the sidebar menu.
Medication Adherence Report
Navigate to Reports > Report Hub > Medication Adherence Report to view records in three different groupings (data loads for a 2-week period by default, up to a maximum of 1 month).
Group by Day/Week/Month: Filter records across a specific date range by multiple clients, medications, log statuses, and reason codes.
Group by Client: Displays records for a single client. Click 'View Trends in Adherence Chart' to open a bar chart visualising the client's adherence trends based on log statuses.
Group by Medication: Displays records grouped by specific medications across multiple clients.
Medication Usage Report
Navigate to Reports > Report Hub > Medication Usage Report to view a comprehensive list of medications that can be filtered by date range, client names, medications, forms, frequencies, and routes.
Exporting Medication History
You can export report data as a CSV file for your records. Click 'Export', and the file will be processed in the background. Once ready, it can be downloaded from Reports > Download Center.
To export a specific client's medication history, navigate to the client's Medication Plans tab in their profile page and click 'View History' to see a full record of administered medications.
Here, you can export the full history as a CSV file.
If a medication plan requires digital signatures, you can also view them here. Hover over the Log Status column to open a modal displaying the image of the Administrator's and/or Witness's signature.
Notifications
If a carer clocks out without logging required medications, admin users will automatically receive an email notification. This ensures accountability and timely follow-up.
Role Permissions
Creating a custom role (Account > Roles > Add New Role) allows you to grant customisable levels of eMAR access to specific staff members. Read this guide for more information on roles.
Read this guide to learn how to track, log, and manage medications in the mobile app.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I received the error message “Failed to preview import: Medication import failed due to invalid format” when uploading a CSV file. How can I resolve this?
This error is typically caused by unsupported characters in your CSV file, such as special symbols (e.g. apostrophes) in medication names or brands.
To resolve this issue, you can either:
Remove unsupported characters
Edit your CSV file to remove any special symbols that may not be supported.Save the file in the correct format
Ensure the file is saved as CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) before uploading.
After making these changes, try uploading the file again.
If the issue persists, it may be worth reviewing the file for other formatting inconsistencies or reaching out to support for further assistance.
For further assistance with Medication Management in ShiftCare, please contact our Support team using online chat when you're logged into ShiftCare or email our Support team at support@shiftcare.com.