SASHA Impact: The Numbers

Independent evaluation by La Trobe University at a 130-bed residential aged care facility. 62 days. 20,538 dose events. 673 medication rounds.

Rasekaba & Khalil (2026) | John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research
703
Hours Reclaimed
62-day implementation period
88
Facility Shifts
Capacity released, no new staff
41%
Faster Per Dose
4.1 min to 2.4 min per event
+5.4
Adherence Gain
86% to 91.4% (percentage points)
Operational Efficiency
Shorter Rounds, Higher Throughput

Median Round Duration (minutes)

Pre-SASHA76.5 min
SASHA Era62.0 min
IQR tightened from 46–82 min to 57–73 min. Fewer extremely long rounds.

Minutes Per Medication Event

Pre-SASHA4.07 min
SASHA Era2.37 min
Events per round increased from 18.8 to 26.2 — more work done in less time per event.

Round Duration by Time of Day

68
105
Morning
45
62
Afternoon
79
60
Evening
Pre-SASHA SASHA Era
Evening rounds showed the clearest improvement. Morning rounds were longer due to higher medication volume.

Round Duration by Staff Role (median, minutes)

Registered Nurse (RN)
Pre-SASHA80 min
SASHA Era60 min
Enrolled Nurse (EN)
Pre-SASHA78 min
SASHA Era73 min
Personal Care Worker (PCW)
Pre-SASHA45 min
SASHA Era62 min
RN-led rounds showed the most pronounced improvement. PCW rounds increased in median but narrowed in spread.
Facility-Level Impact
System-Level Capacity Gain
151
Pre-SASHA Facility Span
Median minutes across all units
88
SASHA Era Facility Span
62.65 minutes saved per round
~4 hrs
Daily Time Returned
To direct care, without adding staff
Medication Safety
The Seven Rights — Operationalised at System Level
Right Patient
Biometric
Fingerprint verified
Right Dose
99.99%
Fixed unit sachet
Right Time
87.8%
Enforced dose windows
Right Docs
Auto
Embedded at point of care
Right Med
Controlled
Sachet-based dispensing
Medication Adherence
From 86% to 91.4%

Administration-Based Adherence (aPDC)

86%
Pre-SASHA Baseline

257 observed rounds, 221 with successful administration. Conservative proxy — likely underestimates true baseline adherence.

91.4%
SASHA Era

187 observed rounds, 171 with successful administration. Achieved during early implementation with learning curve still present.

Missed Administrations at Baseline

12.5%
Of observed administration opportunities were missed
95% CI: 9.0–17.0%. These represent breaches of the Right Time and Right Dose principles. At baseline, medication safety depended heavily on human vigilance — particularly for time- and dose-critical tasks.
Post-implementation, SASHA reduced missed administrations and shifted safety from individual vigilance to system-level reliability.
Staff Experience
Acceptance Was High — and Conditional
Satisfaction Scores
8.2
Pre-SASHA
7.4
SASHA Era

Overlapping confidence intervals. No material decline in overall acceptability.

Round Duration (Self-Reported)

Baseline median: 60–90 minutes. Post-implementation median shifted to 30–60 minutes. Consistent with objective measures.

Confidence Remained High

Self-reported confidence in correct timing, dosing, and documentation stayed above 80% across both periods.

A small attenuation likely reflects greater awareness under a system that makes practice visible.

Perceived Benefits
"More accurate, with less chance of giving the wrong medication."
"No trolley, so there is less physical strain."
Technical Concerns
"Slow WiFi. Technical error. Sachets sticking to the outlet."

Wi-Fi connectivity, fingerprint scanning, and sachet jams were the most cited issues.

Workflow Strain
"ADLs and medication together are really difficult."

Some staff suggested medication administration with SASHA was better suited as a dedicated role.

Meaningful operational and safety gains — confirmed independently.

Digital dose administration aids can release meaningful clinical capacity and support safer medication practices in residential aged care, provided technical performance, workflow integration, and staff training are adequately addressed.

Rasekaba, T.M. & Khalil, H. (2026). La Trobe University — John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research. Full report available on request.