Medication Distribution Process Research Articles

Effect of an automated dispensing cabinet system on drug distribution effectiveness in a surgical unit

The use of the automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) for drug distribution in hospitals has become increasingly common and has numerous benefits.This retrospective study assessed the effectiveness of an ADC that uses integrated information technology in the drug distribution process in a surgical unit as part of a smart medical process improvement project at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in 2019. The outcomes include medicine delivery time, working time of healthcare professionals, transportation manpower, dispensing errors, and satisfaction of nursing staff with the medication distribution process. After ADC implementation, the average waiting time of standing orders decreased significantly for both on and off duty periods (40.0 ± 27.6 to 3.0 ± 3.9 min, P < 0.001; 45.2 ± 25.8 to 2.9 ± 2.9 min, P < 0.001; respectively). Similar results were observed with immediate or temporary medication orders (54.4 ± 31.5 to 2.0 ± 3.0 min, P < 0.001; 64.0 ± 47.5 to 1.5 ± 1.8 min, P < 0.001; respectively). The average time spent by operation room and post-operation room (OR/POR) nurses on communicating with ward nurses for medication delivery to OR/POR was shortened by 46.9 ± 4.4 h per month, and the average time pharmacists spent on dispensing immediate or temporary medication orders was shortened by 5.6 ± 0.2 h per month. The satisfaction of nursing staff with the OR/POR drug delivery process was significantly improved after ADC implementation (3.2 ± 0.8 vs 4.2 ± 0.7, P < 0.001).Our results showed that ADC implementation in surgical units simplified drug delivery processes, shortened drug delivery time, improved drug delivery timeliness for surgical patients, decreased dispensing errors, and increased nursing staff satisfaction. In conclusion, the implementation of ADC was beneficial for surgical units. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies on a similar ADC system.

Application of nanotechnology in breast cancer screening under obstetrics and gynecology through the use of CNN and ANFIS

Breast cancer is the leading reason of death among women aged 35 to 54. Breast cancer diagnosis still presents significant challenges, and preventing the disease's most severe symptoms requires early detection. The role of nanotechnology in the tumor-treatment has recently attracted a lot of interest. In cancer therapies, nanotechnology plays a major role in the medication distribution process. Nanoparticles have the ability to target tumors. Nanoparticles are favorable and maybe preferable for usage in tumor detection and imaging due to their incredibly small size. Quantum dots, semiconductor crystals with increased labeling and imaging capabilities for cancer cells, are one of the particles that have received the most research attention. The design of the research is cross-sectional and descriptive. From April through September of 2020, data were gathered at the State Hospital. All pregnant women who came to the hospital throughout the first and second trimesters of the research's data collection were included in the study population. 100 pregnant women between the ages of 20 and 40 who had not yet had a mammogram comprised the research sample. 1100 digitized mammography images are included in the dataset, which was obtained from a hospital. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) were used to scan all images, and breast masses and mass comparisons were made using the malignant-benign categorization. The adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) then examined all of the data obtained by CNN in order to identify breast cancer early using inputs based on the nine different inputs. The precision of the mechanism used in this technique to determine the ideal radius value is significantly impacted by the radius value. Nine variables that define breast cancer indicators were utilized as inputs to the ANFIS classifier, which was then used to identify breast cancer. The parameters were given the necessary fuzzy functions, and the combined dataset was applied to train the method. Testing was initially performed by 30% of dataset that was later done with the real data obtained from the hospital. The accuracy of the results for 30% data was 84% (specificity =72.7%, sensitivity =86.7%) and the results for the real data was 89.8% (sensitivity =82.3%, specificity =75.9%), respectively.

Insights on developing a field hospital formulary and medication distribution process in preparation for a second surge of COVID-19 cases

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused health systems across the country to plan for field hospitals to care for patients outside of traditional healthcare settings in the event of a second surge. Here we describe key considerations for the implementation of pharmacy operations and a field hospital formulary at an offsite location within a 2-week time frame.SummaryDevelopment of an offsite field hospital formulary is first dependent on the location and patient population defined for the field hospital. Creation of a limited formulary for a planned field hospital in Michigan involved reviewing physical space limitations and drug distribution workflows, assessing current prescribing trends, creating drug categories, and creating formulary guidelines to limit formulary options in each therapeutic category. Ultimately, our institution developed a 140-medication field hospital formulary, a process to enable appropriate use of nonformulary drugs, and a mixed operations model including automated dispensing cabinets and a manual cart-fill process. Although the institution did not have to open the field hospital, the process used for developing the formulary and determining distribution models will allow for an immediate implementation if a second surge occurs.ConclusionA methodical approach to developing limited formularies and pharmacy operations in a field hospital setting will allow health systems to establish efficient and effective medication distribution services in the event of a second surge of COVID-19 cases.

Efficiency analysis of a barcode-enabled and integrated medication-tracking system.

Operational efficiency improvements for pharmacy workflow processes were evaluated using a barcode-enabled and integrated medication-tracking system for medications dispensed from the pharmacy to the emergency department (ED). The preimplementation study period (Period 1) was defined as November 17-December 16, 2015; system implementation and training, were defined as December 17, 2015-January 18, 2016; and postimplementation (Period 2) was defined as January 19-February 17, 2016. Periods 1 and 2 were compared to (1) quantify the number and type of phone calls received related to medication inquiries, (2) evaluate the percentage of redispensed doses per total dispensed doses, and (3) assess the rate of medication administration record (MAR) messages received per total dispensed doses. A reduction in the total number of phone calls by 77% was observed (from 125 to 29 calls). A 0.7% difference was detected for re-dispensed doses as well as MAR messages (0.009% difference in rate) between the 2 study periods. This difference was observed despite an increase in the total amount of dispensed doses that occurred for both redispensed doses (936) and MAR messages (920) during Period 2. A barcode-enabled and integrated medication-tracking system was successfully implemented into the medication distribution process in the ED. The process change increased operational pharmacy efficiencies by decreasing medication status phone calls, redispensed doses, and MAR messages.

National Survey Of Medication Safety Practice At Ministry Of Health Hospitals During Mass Gathering (Hajj-2016) In Saudi Arabia

To explore the medication safety practice at Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals during mass gathering (Hajj -2016) in Saudi Arabia It is a 15-days cross-sectional national survey of medication safety practice at Makkah hospitals during mass gathering Hajj period. The survey modified from Institution of Safe Medication Practice (ISMP) self-assessment of medication safety practice at hospitals. It consisted of a demographic section and ten domains with 270 questions. The ten areas included patient information, drug information, communication of medication orders, drug preparation, medication distribution, medication devices, work environment, staff competency, patient education, quality process with risk management domain. The 5-points Likert response scale system used. The survey distributed to sixteen directors of hospital pharmacy during mass gathering Hajj-2016. The medications safety officer at Makkah region distributed the questionnaire and made follow up on a daily basis used physical visiting and through the telephone call. The study made as an electronic format, and it analyzed through survey monkey system The survey distributed to sixteen hospitals, the response rate, was eleven hospitals (68.75%). Of those 4 (36.4%) hospitals bed size was (100-199) and 3 (27.3%) bed size (200-299). The responded 4(36.4%) hospitals were accredited by Saudi Central Board of Hospitals Accreditation (CBAHI) while 3 (27.3%) accredited by USA International Joint Commission and CIBAHI. The whole sections score of all hospital were (66.4 %). Of the ten domain the patient information was (57.2%), Drug Information (58%), communication of medication orders (70.5%), drug preparation (73.7%), medication distribution (70.22%), medication devices (59.3%), work environment (78.62%), staff competency (73.86%), patient education (74.9 %), and quality process with risk management (62.96 %). The potential medication safety practice was the lowest score, and it was patient information and drug information field. Targeting to correct all related medication safety issues prevent drug misadventures, improved patient clinical outcomes, and quality of life.

Comparison on Human Resource Requirement between Manual and Automated Dispensing Systems

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to compare human resource requirement among manual, automated, and modified automated dispensing systems. MethodsData were collected from the pharmacy department at the 2100-bed university hospital (Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand). Data regarding the duration of the medication distribution process were collected by using self-reported forms for 1 month. The data on the automated dispensing machine (ADM) system were obtained from 1 piloted inpatient ward, whereas those on the manual system were the average of other wards. Data on dispensing, returned unused medication, and stock management processes under the traditional manual system and the ADM system were from actual activities, whereas the modified ADM system was modeled. The full-time equivalent (FTE) of each model was estimated for comparison. ResultsThe result showed that the manual system required 46.84 FTEs of pharmacists and 132.66 FTEs of pharmacy technicians. By adding pharmacist roles on screening and verification under the ADM system, the ADM system required 117.61 FTEs of pharmacists. Replacing counting and filling medication functions by ADM has decreased the number of pharmacy technicians to 55.38 FTEs. After the modified ADM system canceled the return unused medication process, FTEs requirement for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians decreased to 69.78 and 51.90 FTEs, respectively. ConclusionsThe ADM system decreased the workload of pharmacy technicians, whereas it required more time from pharmacists. However, the increased workload of pharmacists was associated with more comprehensive patient care functions, which resulted from the redesigned work process.

Impact of Medication Dose Tracking Technology on Nursing Practice.

Objective: The impact of providing nursing staff access to data collected through a medication dose tracking technology (MDTT) web portal was investigated. Methods: A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized, pre-post intervention study was conducted in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) at Duke University Hospital. The change in the number of medication requests per dispense routed to the pharmacy electronic health record (EHR) in-basket was analyzed pre and post web portal access. Other endpoints included the number of MDTT web portal queries per day by nursing staff, change in nursing satisfaction survey scores, and technician time associated with processing medication requests pre and post web portal access. The pre web portal access phase of the study occurred from June 1, 2014 to August 31, 2014. The post web portal access phase occurred from October 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Results: An 11.4% decrease in the number of medication requests per dispense was exhibited between the pre and post web portal access phases of the study (0.0579 vs 0.0513, respectively; p < .001). Pre and post surveys showed a significant improvement in nurses' satisfaction regarding access to information on the location of medications (p = .009). Additionally, CTICU nursing staff utilized the MDTT web portal for 3.21 queries per day from October 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Conclusion: Providing nurses access to data collected via an MDTT decreased the number of communications between nursing and pharmacy staff regarding medication availability and led to statistically significant improvements in nursing satisfaction for certain aspects of the medication distribution process.

Impact of Mobile Dose-Tracking Technology on Medication Distribution at an Academic Medical Center.

Medication dose-tracking technologies have the potential to improve efficiency and reduce costs associated with re-dispensing doses reported as missing. Data describing this technology and its impact on the medication use process are limited. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of dose-tracking technology on pharmacy workload and drug expense at an academic, acute care medical center. Dose-tracking technology was implemented in June 2014. Pre-implementation data were collected from February to April 2014. Post-implementation data were collected from July to September 2014. The primary endpoint was the percent of re-dispensed oral syringe and compounded sterile product (CSP) doses within the pre- and post-implementation periods per 1,000 discharges. Secondary endpoints included pharmaceutical expense generated from re-dispensing doses, labor costs, and staff satisfaction with the medication distribution process. We observed an average 6% decrease in re-dispensing of oral syringe and CSP doses from pre- to post-implementation (15,440 vs 14,547 doses; p = .047). However, when values were adjusted per 1,000 discharges, this trend did not reach statistical significance (p = .074). Pharmaceutical expense generated from re-dispensing doses was significantly reduced from pre- to post-implementation ($834,830 vs $746,466 [savings of $88,364]; p = .047). We estimated that $2,563 worth of technician labor was avoided in re-dispensing missing doses. We also saw significant improvement in staff perception of technology assisting in reducing missing doses (p = .0003), as well as improvement in effectiveness of resolving or minimizing missing doses (p = .01). The use of mobile dose-tracking technology demonstrated meaningful reductions in both the number of doses re-dispensed and cost of pharmaceuticals dispensed.

Reducing medication errors in nursing practice.

Medication errors remain one of the most common causes of unintended harm to patients. They contribute to adverse events that compromise patient safety and result in a large financial burden to the health service. The prevention of medication errors, which can happen at every stage of the medication preparation and distribution process, is essential to maintain a safe healthcare system. One third of the errors that harm patients occur during the nurse administration phase: administering medication to patients is therefore a high-risk activity. This article highlights factors that contribute to medication errors, including the safety culture of institutions. It also discusses factors that relate specifically to nurses, such as patient acuity and nursing workload, the distractions and interruptions that can occur during medication administration, the complexity of some medication calculations and administration methods, and the failure of nurses to adhere to policies or guidelines.

Decentralized automated dispensing devices: systematic review of clinical and economic impacts in hospitals.

Technologies have been developed over the past 20 years to automate the stages of drug distribution in hospitals, including ordering, dispensing, delivery, and administration of medications, in attempts to decrease medication error rates. Decentralized automated dispensing devices (ADDs) represent one such technology that is being adopted by hospitals across Canada, but the touted benefits, in terms of improved patient safety and cost savings, are increasingly being questioned. To summarize and evaluate the existing literature reporting the clinical and economic impacts of using decentralized ADDs in hospitals. A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and all evidence-based medicine databases for the years 1992 to 2012 to identify English-language articles reporting on the use of ADDs in hospital wards. All randomized controlled trials, observational studies, before-and-after studies, time series analyses, cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses, and review articles were considered for inclusion. Studies evaluating pharmacy-based ADDs, such as bar code-based medication dispensing carousels, automated dispensing shelves, and combinations of various dispensing modalities, were excluded. Of 175 studies initially identified, 8 were retained for evidence synthesis. It appears that ADDs were effective in reducing medication storage errors and the time that nurses spent taking inventory of narcotics and controlled substances. There was no definitive evidence that using ADDs increased the time that nurses or pharmacists spent with patients, reduced medication errors resulting in patient harm, or reduced costs in Canadian hospitals. However, pharmacy technicians spent more time stocking the machines. ADDs have limited potential to decrease medication errors and increase efficiencies, but their impact is highly institution-specific, and use of this technology requires proper integration into an institution's medication distribution process. Before deploying this technology, it is recommended that Canadian hospitals carefully examine their current systems and the benefits they hope to gain with the changes.

Implementation and evaluation of carousel dispensing technology in a university medical center pharmacy

The implementation of carousel dispensing technology (CDT) at a university medical center pharmacy and the associated changes in drug distribution are described. An evaluation of CDT was conducted in three phases: before implementation, during implementation, and after implementation. The preimplementation phase consisted of data collection and facility planning leading up to the physical installation. The implementation phase included the physical installation, carousel medication assignment, and user training. The postimplementation phase included data collection and analysis. The data collected were used to compare preimplementation and postimplementation time studies, labor requirements, inventory turns, and accuracy rates. The estimated labor savings comparing the preimplementation and postimplementation time studies for automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) refills, first-dose requests, supplemental cart fill, and medication procurement totaled 2.6 full-time equivalents (FTEs). After departmental reorganization, a net reduction of 2.0 technician FTEs was achieved. The average turnaround time for stat medication requests using CDT was 7.19 minutes, and the percentage of doses filled in less than 20 minutes was 95.1%. After implementing CDT, the average accuracy rate for all dispense requests increased from 99.02% to 99.48%. The inventory carrying cost was reduced by $25,059. CDT improved the overall efficiency and accuracy of medication dispensing in a university medical center pharmacy. Workflow efficiencies achieved in ADC refill, first-dose dispensing, supplemental cart fill, and the medication procurement process allowed the department to reduce the amount of technician labor required to support the medication distribution process, as well as reallocate technician labor to other areas in need.

Pharmacy Automation and Workflow Implications: A Case Study

Background: Inpatient pharmacy automation is becoming an increasingly important component of the medication distribution process across the country. The use of pharmacy automation is perceived as a tool for increasing patient safety and pharmacy department efficiency. Adjusting pharmacy workflow requirements and staffing redefinitions is essential when implementing pharmacy automation. Objective: To evaluate the results of an acute care, community, teaching hospital's experience as the inpatient pharmacy implements a robot, medication carousel, and barcode packager, and shifts its medication distribution model from a cartless to cart fill method. Summary: Data on robot efficiency, changing pharmacy technician roles, and pharmacist time were collected over 2 years. The medication distribution process and pharmacy technician roles had to be adjusted multiple times to increase workflow efficiency. The initial shift to a cart fill distribution model, with first doses dispensed from the robot, resulted in robot efficiency of approximately 71%. When the distribution model was shifted to hybrid cart fill and cartless model, with first doses dispensed from automated dispensing cabinets, the robot efficiency improved to between 85% and 90%. Conclusions: Pharmacy automation requires proper workflow adjustments to realize the potential increased efficiency of this technology. Additionally, optimizing the medication distribution model to maximize the efficiency of staffing workflow has a significant impact on automation efficiency.

Implementation of a Pharmacy Automation System (Robotics) to Ensure Medication Safety at Norwalk Hospital

This article reports an intervention to improve the quality and safety of hospital patient care by introducing the use of pharmacy robotics into the medication distribution process. Medication safety is vitally important. The integration of pharmacy robotics with computerized practitioner order entry and bedside medication bar coding produces a significant reduction in medication errors. The creation of a safe medication-from initial ordering to bedside administration-provides enormous benefits to patients, to health care providers, and to the organization as well.

ARV Medication Errors: Experience of a Community-Based HIV Specialty Clinic and Review of the Literature

ObjectiveTo describe antiretroviral (ARV) medication errors reported within a community Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) clinic, identify potential strategies to prevent errors, and review the literature pertaining to ARV medication errors.DesignReview of voluntarily reported ARV errors. Errors were classified using the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC-MERP) Index. The clinic's medication distribution process was also analyzed.SettingCommunity-based clinic with HIV-experienced clinicians in an urban setting.ResultsThirty-seven errors were reported over 3 years; 81.1% of these were classified as NCC-MERP category C. Most errors resulted from lapses in clinic and pharmacy systems of care (n = 21). Pharmacy and clinic prescribing errors were less (n = 11).ConclusionARV medication errors were notable. Changes in drug distribution and prescribing processes may reduce future ARV medication errors.

Internal reporting system to improve a pharmacy’s medication distribution process

The current pharmacy occurrence-reporting system in an institution was reviewed, and an internal procedure that would provide data to improve the medication-use process was developed. In a rural, 353-bed, tertiary care academic center, the effectiveness of a departmental occurrence-reporting system was determined over a nine-month period to increase occurrence reporting within the pharmacy and allow administrators to identify specific areas for improvement within the medication distribution process. These events were identified according to the number and type of near misses documented by pharmacy staff. The pharmacy staff was asked to complete a survey about the department's current reporting process and what the staff desired in a new occurrence-reporting system. The staff was also surveyed on which steps of the pharmacy's medication distribution process could contribute to the most errors. Initially, a paper-based error-reporting form was developed for all steps of the pharmacy distribution process except pharmacist order entry. Once the paper-based error-reporting form was introduced, the pharmacist order-entry phase of the project was begun. During the evaluation period, 203 pharmacy-dispensing errors were reported to the hospital's error-reporting system. In contrast, 1385 total pharmacy events were documented using the pharmacy's internal occurrence-reporting system. At least 204 of those reported events involved high-alert medications according to the institution's high-alert medications policy. A pharmacy internal occurrence-reporting system increased staff reporting and identified areas for improvement within the medication distribution process that may not have been recorded by a hospital-based reporting system.

Influence of Computerised Medication Charts on Medication Errors in a Hospital

In hospitals where computerised physician order entry systems will not be available in the near future, there is a need to explore other ways of reducing medication errors that occur in the drug ordering and delivery system. One of these ways is the use of a computerised medication chart that is updated daily. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency, types and potential clinical significance of drug prescription and administration errors by comparing a traditional medication distribution system (where the transcription of handwritten into printed medication orders takes 3-5 days and the transfer of medication orders was not complete) with the use of a computerised medication chart (which was updated daily by pharmacy assistants on the ward). Data were collected during two 3-week periods, from a 32-bed internal medicine unit, before and after the introduction of the computerised medication charts. Prescribing errors were observed by evaluation of all new and changed medication orders and administration errors were detected by using the disguised-observation technique. For prescribing errors, a total of 611 prescriptions before and 598 prescriptions after the intervention were evaluated. The total prescription error rate (of medication orders with >or=1 error) was found to be significantly higher with the computerised charts when compared with the old system (50.0% [299 of 598] vs 20.3% [124 of 611], odds ratio [OR] 3.80 [95% CI 2.94, 4.90]). This increase was caused by an increase in administrative prescription errors with a low potential clinical significance (mainly omission of the prescriber's name and the prescription date). The error rate for errors with a potential clinical significance was found to be significantly lower because the prescription error 'duplicate therapy' was eliminated (3.4% with the traditional medication chart vs 0% with the computerised chart). For administration errors, a total of 1122 drugs before the intervention and 1175 drugs after the intervention was observed to be administered. The total administration error rate was found to be significantly lower after the intervention (6.1% [72 of 1175] vs 10.5% [118 of 1122], OR 0.61 [95% CI 0.45, 0.84]), as was the error rate with a potential clinical significance. The contribution of handwritten medication orders to the total amount of medication orders was significantly decreased after the intervention (12.8% vs 20.6% [95% CI 4.6, 11.0]) and the administration of a drug ordered by a handwritten medication order resulted in a significantly higher administration rate than with administration of a drug ordered by a printed medication order (before the intervention 20.7% vs 8.0%, OR 2.99 [95% CI 1.96, 4.56], after the intervention 11.4% vs 5.6%, OR 2.18 [95% CI 1.16, 4.11]). This observational study shows a significant reduction in clinically relevant, administration and (therapeutic) prescription error rates when applying a system using computerised and daily updated medication charts compared with a system using traditional medication charts. Therefore, the use of computerised and daily updated medication charts has the potential to improve the quality of the medication distribution process in hospitals waiting for the implementation of a computerised physician order entry system.

Future Challenges: Changing Health Care Delivery and Advancing Patient Care

Our current health care system involves multidisciplinary groups of practitioners who function as freestanding silos and in which a “team” approach means an awareness and tolerance of other disciplines as patients are handed from one practitioner to another. Pharmacy has advanced from clinical pharmacy through pharmaceutical care to the dawning of medication therapy management services. With each step pharmacy has become more focused on direct patient care. As technology and technicians improve the dispensing process and as electronic databases evolve, the pharmacist will increasingly be positioned to be more available and better equipped to provide direct patient care and medication therapy management services. Over the next decade, I see pharmacy and other health care providers moving to an interdisciplinary team approach in which decisions are made by consensus and through which each discipline has an equal opportunity for input.1 To accommodate such a change, I envision a new health care delivery model based on the following components: n Wellness and prevention services as the entry point into the system. n An interdisciplinary delivery model with providers having shared borders (a model in which our professional boundaries become blurred or overlap, and health care professionals share a common knowledge base, a common professional interest, and an instinct to help the patient). n “Physician extenders” providing disease and medication management services using evidenced-based medicine. n Systems that are outcomes driven and outcomes justified. n A broader acceptance and use of complementary and alternative medicine within the delivery model. All of the above components are evolving or already exist in the current environment. The challenge to the system is to integrate them into successful delivery models. The challenge to the pharmacist is to identify, embrace, Future Challenges: Changing Health Care Delivery and Advancing Patient Care and drive their evolving roles within this new health care delivery model.