eMAR (Electronic Medication Administration Record) 💊

eMAR stands for Electronic Medication Administration Record. It is the digital system within OnCare that tracks every medication event for every client. It replaces traditional paper-based MAR charts with a digital, auditable record.

The eMAR does not update in real time. It updates automatically when the care worker clocks out of the visit. Until then, the medication records for that visit will not be visible on the dashboard. Once the care worker clocks out, the eMAR sheet reflects what happened during the visit.

Medication management is one of the most closely inspected areas during CQC visits. Regulators want to see that medications are administered on time, that missed doses are recorded with a reason, and that the agency has a clear process for responding to medication issues. The eMAR system in OnCare provides all of this in one place, giving you a complete and auditable medication history for every client.

Paper MAR charts are prone to errors. They can be lost, damaged, illegible, or filled in retrospectively without anyone knowing. OnCare's eMAR eliminates these risks. Every medication entry is timestamped, linked to the specific care worker who recorded it, and stored securely in the system where it cannot be altered without an audit trail.

If CQC asks to see medication records for a client, you can pull up the full eMAR history instantly. You do not need to drive to a client's home to retrieve a paper chart or rely on care workers to bring them into the office.

Medications are set up within the medication management section of the client's care plan in the web application. Only office staff can add, edit, or remove medications from the web platform. Care workers cannot modify medication details from the app.

For each medication, you enter the following information:

You can add as many medications as needed per client. Once medications are set up, they automatically appear in the care worker's app during visits that fall within the medication's scheduled time window. You do not need to manually assign medications to individual visits.

It is essential that for every medication set up in the care plan, there is a corresponding visit scheduled in the visit plan at the correct time. If a medication is set up for mornings but there is no morning visit scheduled, the medication will show as "Not Reported" on the eMAR because no care worker was there to record it. Office staff must ensure the visit plan and medication schedule are aligned to avoid gaps.

If a client's prescription changes, you must update the medication list in OnCare immediately. The eMAR will only be accurate if it reflects the client's current prescriptions. Failing to update medication records after a prescription change is a common issue flagged during CQC inspections.

During a visit, the care worker sees the list of medications due for that visit. For each medication, they must select one of the following statuses:

When a medication is marked as taken or not taken, the system timestamps it. This timestamp records the exact time the care worker made the entry. Only care workers can mark medications as taken or not taken. Friends and family members using the portal cannot record medications. If a family member administered medication to their loved one, they need to send proof to the office staff or care worker (via a review or a message), and office staff can then add a note to the visit report to document it.

The eMAR sheet is a record of all medication events for a client. It updates when care workers clock out of visits. Each entry shows the medication name and dosage, whether it was marked as Taken, Not Taken, Not Scheduled, or Not Reported, the date and time of the record, the care worker who recorded it, and any notes or reasons provided.

Taken medications are shown as green dots and Not Taken medications are shown as red dots on the eMAR chart. When you hover over a green or red dot, you can see the exact time the medication was taken or not taken. If you click on a red dot, it opens the visit report for that visit, where you can see the reason the care worker provided for why the medication was not administered.

You can view the eMAR sheet from the client's profile in the web application. It gives you a clear visual overview of the client's medication history over any time period, making it easy to spot patterns such as regularly missed doses or medications that are frequently refused.

When a care worker marks a medication as Not Taken, a missed medication alert is automatically generated. This alert appears on the Alerts Dashboard and office staff receive an email notification. The alert includes the client name, the medication name, the care worker who recorded it, and the reason provided.

Office staff should review every missed medication alert and add a resolution describing the action taken. For example, "Client refused paracetamol, daughter informed, will monitor" or "Medication not available, pharmacy contacted for delivery tomorrow." These resolutions create the audit trail that CQC expects to see.

If a client is temporarily away (in hospital, on holiday), you can use the Pause Care feature on their profile. When care is paused, the medication schedule is also paused, so no medication alerts are triggered during that period. You can resume care and medication tracking at any time.

If you forget to pause care when a client is away, missed medication alerts will keep being generated, creating unnecessary noise for your team and cluttering your alert history.

There is currently no option to print the eMAR directly or to bulk download a dedicated eMAR PDF. However, you have several options for exporting medication data.

You can use your browser's print function to save the eMAR page as a PDF, or take a screenshot if you need a quick copy.

For more detailed exports, go to the Reports section and click Visit Reports. From there, you can use the filters to narrow down by client, care worker, or medication tasks specifically. This gives you only visit reports that contain medication information. You can then export this filtered data as a CSV or Excel file, which allows you to track all taken and not taken medications in a spreadsheet format.

Before eMAR works properly, you need to add each client's medications to their care plan in the web application, including the medication name, dosage, how and when it should be taken, and the prompt (morning, lunchtime, evening, bedtime, or as needed). You also need to make sure there is a visit scheduled in the visit plan for every time window where medication is due, so that care workers are actually present to record it. Without a matching visit, the medication will show as Not Reported.

Make sure alert notifications are configured so that office staff receive missed medication alerts by email. Review the medication list for each client regularly, especially after GP appointments or hospital discharges where prescriptions may have changed.

The eMAR does not connect to GP systems. There is no GP Connect integration at this time, so medications must be entered and updated manually by office staff based on the client's prescription information.

The eMAR does not track medication stock levels. It will not tell you if a client is running low on a particular medication. Stock management must be done manually by your team, for example by checking supplies during visits and reordering from the pharmacy in advance.

The eMAR does not update in real time. It only updates when the care worker clocks out. You cannot monitor medications being given during a visit as it happens.

Friends and family cannot record medication through the portal. Only care workers can mark medications as taken or not taken.

There is no dedicated eMAR PDF download or bulk export feature. Use the Visit Reports section with medication task filters and CSV/Excel export for tracking medication data in spreadsheet format.

Review the eMAR sheet for each client at least weekly to check for patterns of missed or refused medications. Resolve every missed medication alert with a clear note explaining the action taken. Keep the medication list up to date by reviewing it after every GP appointment, hospital discharge, or prescription change. Make sure every medication in the care plan has a matching visit in the visit plan so nothing shows as Not Reported. Train care workers on the importance of writing detailed reasons when marking a medication as Not Taken, as this is a key area CQC inspectors review. Use the Visit Reports export with medication filters to run regular medication audits and share reports with managers or pharmacists as needed.