An evaluation of automated dispensing cabinets and inventory robots for centralised distribution of medication in an Australian hospital

Abstract

ObjectiveIn Australian hospitals, a central distribution system is often utilised to supply medication to clinical areas. This study investigated the impact of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) and inventory robots in medication distribution within an Australian hospital. MethodsA prospective observational study of pharmacy technician medication supply to clinical areas was conducted over a 2-week period pre- and post-implementation of ADCs and inventory robots. Information was collected on the time taken to perform all tasks required to provide a weekly medication supply service for medication other than drugs of addiction. ResultsThere was no significant reduction of total duration for medication supply, pre-implementation mean 73.08 min versus post-implementation 68.59 min (P = 0.567). An instance of automation downtime occurred during the post-implementation period for which manual downtime procedures were implemented. Without downtime, a significant reduction in overall time taken was observed, 74.25 min versus 63.18 min (P = 0.019). Pre-restocking medication selection errors were reduced non-significantly after implementation of inventory robots, 11 (0.43%) versus 4 (0.21%) errors (P = 0.090). ConclusionsImplementation of ADCs and robots did not significantly reduce the total time to provide a weekly medication supply service when downtime occurred, although a significant reduction was observed when downtime did not occur. Pharmacy medication selection errors were non-significantly lower. What is known about the topic?Australian hospitals are increasingly implementing automated technology such as ADCs and inventory robotics in an attempt to improve efficiency and accuracy of medication supply; however, limited literature is available in an Australian setting. What does this paper add?This paper describes the impact of implementing ADCs in clinical areas (e.g. inpatient wards) and inventory robots in a main store pharmacy on the medication supply process. This paper highlights the benefit of improved efficiency and accuracy in selecting medication in pharmacy for distribution and identifies time to restock the ADCs is significantly increased. What are the implications for practitioners?Implementing ADCs and inventory robotics in Australian hospitals can provide benefits in efficiency and accuracy; however, robust downtime procedures are essential.

"Automated Drugs Dispensing Systems in Hospital Pharmacies and Wards: A Systematic Literature Review"

“…The PRISMA flowchart of the review is reported in Figure 1. Nine peer-reviewed publications [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] out of the 261 records retrieved with the initial search, met the eligibility criteria Table 1. The evaluation of the scientific evidence indicated a potentially high risk of bias, and a low-quality literature level was observed for all three outcomes of interest Table 2.…”

“…Two studies juxtaposed the Central Pharmacy-Based automated scenario with the manual dispensing scenario [35] reported that pharmacy automation could enhance the time allocated for picking and the total turnaround time for discharge (p<0.01). [43] examined the efficiency outcomes before and after implementing a central dispensing drug system, demonstrating a reduction in the overall time for drug dispensing by 15%, attributable to the introduction of automation. Four studies contrasted the Ward-based automated scenario with traditional dispensing.…”

Pharmacy Forecast Australia 2022: key findings

“…Data can also be used to note trends in medication use hospital‐wide and increase or reduce stock levels accordingly 14, 15 . Programmes can be designed to convert inventory levels from robots and ADCs into imprest orders, saving time and paper in comparison to manual ordering 16 …”

“…14,15 Programmes can be designed to convert inventory levels from robots and ADCs into imprest orders, saving time and paper in comparison to manual ordering. 16 It is possible that the 39% of FPs who positively responded that budgets will be increased for solutions to reduce waste are already utilising the data from their current pharmacy automation (Figure 1, Item 7). Increasing knowledge and accessibility of the data that can be leveraged from technology solutions is paramount in reducing medication wastage.…”