Impact of Automated Dispensing Solutions in Long-Term Care Facilities and Closed-Door Pharmacies: A Mixed Methods Study of Medication Management.

BACKGROUND: Financial, operational, and clinical workflow impacts of deploying an automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) in long-term care (LTC) facilities based on actual observations have not been documented in peer-reviewed literature.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of a closed-door pharmacy (CDP) implementing an ADC with unique secure, removable, and transportable locked pockets in an unstudied setting (LTC facilities) for management of first and emergency dose medications.

PRACTICE: Description: This study was conducted in one CDP and two LTC facilities.

PRACTICE: Innovation: Enhancing emergency medication management and inventory tracking in an unstudied setting through implementation of an ADC system featuring unique electronically encoded medication storage pockets that can be prepared in the CDP, locked and securely transported to the LTC, and when inserted into ADC informs of its presence, position and contents.

EVALUATION METHODS: Mixed methods, pre- and post-study to assess the impact of replacing manual emergency medication kits with an ADC. Outcomes were evaluated using rapid ethnography with workflow modeling; inventory and delivery reports; a nursing perception survey; and transactional data from the ADC during post-installation phase.

RESULTS: Pharmacy technician preparation time and pharmacist checking time decreased by 59% and 80%, respectively and standing inventory was reduced by more than $10,000 combined for the CDP and two LTCs by replacing emergency medication kits with the ADC. In the LTCs, this change led to a 71% reduction in emergency medication retrieval time, an increase in emergency medication utilization, and a 96% reduction in the cost of unscheduled deliveries. Over 70% of the nurses surveyed favored replacement of the emergency medication kits with the ADC system.

CONCLUSION: Replacing manual emergency medication kit with the described ADC system improved workflow efficiency in the CDP and LTC. It also significantly reduced unscheduled (STAT) deliveries and standing inventory and increased availability of medications commonly used.