Cool Technology for Pharmacy

instymedsThe InstyMeds Prescription Medication Dispenser is a fully automated prescription dispensing machine. It is  designed to be used in high traffic areas where quick medication turnaround is desired and a physical pharmacy is unavailable, such as emergency departments (ED) and acute care clinics.

The dispenser has just over 100 medication slots that can each hold a medication magazine with up to 11 prepackaged medication bottles. The formulary for the InstyMeds machine is site specific and designed by the InstyMeds Corporation. Items in the example formulary that I viewed included amoxicillin capsules, amoxicillin suspension, Auralgan otic drops, Z-Pak, Augmentin, acetaminophen tablets and elixir, ibuprofen, Vicodin, Darvocet, etc. All the items you would expect from a short visit to the ED or for little Joey with an ear infection at the urgent care. The formulary in the InstyMeds machine can be altered based on seasonal trends and inventory replacement is automatically  shipped to the location when needed based on real time inventory tracking. In addition, consumables such as printer paper are also automatically tracked by the InstyMeds Corporation via an internal web cam.

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Using technology to advance pharmacy practice through education

funny_tech_cartoonI found an interesting article in the October issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. The article, titled Informatics in clinical instruction (Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009 Oct 1;66(19):1694, 1699), gives a description of a software system designed by the authors that “allows students at one site to receive online and teleconference instruction from preceptors at multiple sites through remote, interactive discussion. It also allows “blogging” based on assigned videotapes, simulation modules, live patient cases, discussion questions, and primary literature review. In addition, the system facilitates clinical encounter documentation, including interviewing patients, taking physical assessments (e.g., blood pressure), taking medication histories, assessing for adverse effects (e.g., abnormal involuntary movements), and addressing potential or actual medication-related problems(MRPs).”

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View on technology-enabled practice from ASHP

The September issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy contains a vision statement written by the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology. The statement represents their thoughts on the current state of pharmacy practice and contains a healthy dose of ideas on how technology can help support and improve pharmacy practice.

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Beyond patient safety with technology and automation

I had reason to do some thinking about healthcare automation over the weekend, and after much thought decided that healthcare, specifically pharmacy, was a little strange in several ways. As an industry, healthcare rarely looks beyond patient safety when talking about technology and automation. Let’s face it, patient safety is the rally cry for any department in need of a jumpstart to complete a project that has stalled for one reason or another. Unfortunately the investment of time, energy and capital resources typically stops immediately after implementation secondary to meeting the patient safety goal. However, this model seldom allows for technology and automation to be taken to the next logical step.

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