Lay summary
Errors with medicine use and side effects are a significant problem especially in hospitalised older people who often take multiple medicines and face complex health conditions. In New Zealand, Māori and Pacific Peoples experience more harm from medicines, and therefore a focus on these peoples is crucial. My PhD focuses on the design and development of a digital tool to improve medicine safety in hospitalised patients in South Auckland. The research objectives include: 1) identifying gaps in the literature on digital solutions used for hospital medicine management; 2) designing a clinically relevant, user-friendly digital tool in collaboration with healthcare professionals, IT experts, and health equity specialists; and 3) evaluating the tool's effectiveness in reducing medicine errors and managing side effects. The tool developed in this research is expected to transform clinical practice, thereby improving health outcomes for hospitalised patients in South Auckland.