Preventing Medication Errors With Custom Machines

Given that no two hospitals are exactly alike, all hospitals must implement their own custom machines to improve efficiency and to keep costs down. Increasing efficiency helps accommodate for nursing shortages and also allows for nurses to spend more time with patients. For custom machines to be beneficial to the hospital, they need to help achieve specific measurable goals, such as the prevention of death due to the incorrect administering of medications. Two machines well-suited for this task are barcode scanners and medicine dispensers.

Preventing Hospital Deaths Due to Improper Medication

A major concern for hospitals is the number of deaths that are caused by the incorrect administering of drugs. The process of getting the right medication to a patient is complex, beginning with a prescription that is based on the patient's medical information. Then, medication lists must be double-checked before the medication can be prescribed. First, the nurses must identify the patient correctly. Then, the nurses must correctly identify the medication. The medication must be given in the right amount and through the correct mechanism. Finally, the medication must be given at the correct intervals.

Using Medicine Dispensers

To correct errors in medical dispensing, one custom machine commonly used by hospitals is the medication dispenser. The best way to optimize patient care is to have locked servers outside the patient's door that stores the medications the patient will need for the next 24 hours.

Automating the medication dispensing process can also help get patients the medication they need much sooner. Prescriptions can be sent electronically and accessed instantly by the pharmacist's computer. The order does not have to be manually entered into the patient's records. The pharmacist does not even have to take the medication off a shelf.

Using Barcode Scanners

Handheld barcode scanners also play a role in minimizing medication errors at the point of care. By automating each stage of the process, it is less likely that human error will lead to patients receiving medication incorrectly and also helps improve the workflow. After an order has been approved of by a pharmacist, a robot dispenses the medication into an envelope and then the envelope can be delivered to the nurse responsible for administering the medication.

With the right custom machine design and with human oversight patients will be much less likely to receive the wrong medication. With everything bar coded, it is much easier to avoid making mistakes and to track where medications are going to account for medications that go missing. With less to worry about, nurses are better able to focus on what they are specialized in rather than handling more tedious manners. Talk to places like Innovative Tooling Solutions for more information.