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Technological Advances in Dispensing Medication
One of the most important technological advances in the Health Care Industry is in the realm of dispensing medication. Eleven percent of medical errors occur during the process of dispensing medication. Instances of incorrect drugs, strengths of medications, quantities and even incorrect instructions are rampant in the industry. ... In a case where the pharmacist selected the right drugs and strengths, a 73 year old woman in Louisiana took an overdose because the pharmacist labeled her two medications incorrectly. She received two vials from her pharmacist containing Prozac and Restoril, but the medications were in the wrong bottles, and therefore the dosages on the labels were incorrect. ... Add to this the fact that over fifty-three percent of pharmacists admitted to making a dispensing error in the past sixty days, and the need for change is obvious. ...
Companies like McKesson Automation are at the forefront of this industry-wide technological upheaval. ... Robot-Rx is the name of the robotic drug distribution system that is being marketed to hospitals and pharmacies in hopes of revolutionizing the way in which medications are dispensed. The definition that McKesson gives for the Robot-Rx is this:
Robot-Rx is a centralized, robotic drug distribution system that automates the storage, dispensing, returning, restocking, and crediting of bar-coded, unit dose inpatient medications. ... It has been estimated that over seventy percent of all dispensing errors occur when the incorrect medication is given. ... The current process relies on hand-picking, checking and packaging medications. ... The Robot-Rx is not limited to only pill based medications. It is also capable of dispensing liquid and injectable medication.
Approximate Word count = 1345
Approximate Pages = 5.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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