A Prescription for Automation- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
A Prescription for Automation- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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June 29, 2001
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In This Issue:
A Prescription for Automation
Awards of Appreciation
July Calendar
Fay Retires
BWH Magazine available now!
Celebrating “Success”
Memorial Service for McCabe
Meet BWH’s new pharmacist. Filling 100 prescriptions per hour at near 100 percent accuracy, this 918-pound wonder is producing new efficiencies and directly impacting patient satisfaction while reducing medication errors. This new addition to the hospital is a robot. The computerized system is now labeling, counting and filling prescriptions at the hospital’s Outpatient Pharmacy. Acquired by BWH earlier this year, the ScriptPro SP 200 is helping the hospital meet the demand for increased service and accuracy. “The robotic prescription dispensing system provides us with a new tool to combat medication errors,” said Les Bucey, manager of the Outpatient Pharmacy. “In addition, the system allows us to better respond to drug recalls by providing us with an instant list of patients who received these medications.” The computer’s robotic arm uses bar code scanning to select the correct medication from several “dispensing cells.” A vial is placed under the dispenser and the robot fills the vial with the correct amount of medicine. Next the robot places the vial on a conveyor belt where it is labeled, and then sent to a pharmacist who verifies the prescription and dosage. More than 60 percent of prescriptions are now filled by the “robot.” “In a typical pharmacy without automation, a pharmacist can usually fill about 25 prescriptions per hour,” said Bill Churchill, director of Pharmacy Services. “This system can do it four times faster and with greater safety and accuracy. This will allow more time for our Pharmacists to focus on improving patient education and adherence with their medications regimens.” The robotic prescription dispensing system came online in May 2001. Since that time it has filled over 8,000 prescriptions.