Why is a medication showing as missed?

How "Missed" is calculated, and what to do if you actually gave the dose on time.

A dose flips to Missed (red) when the buffer-after window expires without a recording. The calculation is:

missed_at = scheduled_time + buffer_after_minutes

Worked example

A dose scheduled for 08:00 with the default 120-minute after-buffer becomes Missed at 10:00. The missed-dose alert fires 30 minutes later (the default missed-notification delay), at 10:30.

What to record

  • If the dose wasn't given — record outcome Missed (5) with the reason.

  • If you gave the dose on time but didn't record it — use Retrospective recording. Confirm it was genuinely given at the time you put down.

  • If you gave the dose late, deliberately — use Off-schedule with the reason.

Heads up — Picking the wrong path here matters for audits. Retrospective + Off-schedule + Missed each carry different signal to inspectors. Be honest about what actually happened.

Last updated 21 May 2026 · by eMAR migration · Suggest a feature or change to this article
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