Implementation of Medication-Related Technology and Its Impact on Pharmacy Workflow: Real-World Evidence Usability...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Safety
• Pharmacy Operations

Background:

• Medication errors are a significant cause of patient harm and increased healthcare costs.
• Hospital adoption of medication-related technologies is increasing, but evidence on their impact on dispensing errors is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the impact of implementing automated dispensing cabinets (ADC), barcode medication administration (BCMA), and smart dispensing counters (SDC) on dispensing error rates.
• To identify categories and rates of dispensing errors to demonstrate how these technologies minimize errors.

Main Methods:

• A before-and-after study design was employed at a large academic medical center in Taiwan.
• Dispensing error data were collected from January 2017 to December 2023, analyzing four stages: pre-intervention and post-implementation of ADC, BCMA, and SDC.
• Statistical analyses, including chi-square or Fisher exact tests with Bonferroni correction, were used to compare error rates across stages (P<.05).

Main Results:

• The average dispensing error rate decreased significantly with each technology implementation: 39.68% (ADC), 44.44% (BCMA), and 77.78% (SDC).
• The most common error, "wrong drug," decreased by over 50% with each intervention.
• Statistically significant reductions in dispensing errors were observed between all stages, except between the BCMA and ADC implementation stages.

Conclusions:

• The implementation of ADC, BCMA, and SDC technologies effectively reduces dispensing errors in hospital pharmacies.
• This study provides robust evidence for the combined impact of these three technologies on improving medication safety.
• The findings highlight the critical role of integrated medication-related technologies in minimizing preventable medical incidents.