Outcomes of Pharmacy Automation System Development for Outpatient Services at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital

Abstract

Background: Pharmacy automation systems are widely accepted for their capacity to reduce medication errors; nevertheless, errors continue to be observed in the automation systems currently implemented in the hospital. The research team has further developed the dispensing system to enhance medication safety.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of developing dispensing system using pharmacy automation in terms of medication errors and drug waiting time.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study compared data before and after system development. The study population comprised all outpatient prescriptions serviced before system development (October 1, 2021 – May 31, 2023) and after system development (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024). The developed system utilized barcode/QR code technology on medication packages to verify accuracy. If the data (type, strength, dosage form, and quantity) matched the medication information recorded in the hospital information system, the medication label would be automatically printed. Descriptive data were analyzed using percentages and means. Proportion comparisons were performed using two-proportion Z-test.

Results: After system development, medication errors during preparation process decreased from 28.50 to 18.17 per 1,000 prescriptions, representing a 36.25% reduction (p-value < 0.001). In the medication checking process, errors decreased from 4.23 to 3.37 per 1,000 prescriptions, representing a 20.21% reduction (p-value < 0.001). Dispensing errors rate decreased from 0.0760 to 0.0302 per 1,000 prescriptions, representing a 60.26% reduction (p-value < 0.01). However, the average drug waiting time increased from 29.15 minutes to 35.16 minutes.

Conclusion: The developed system resulted in statistically significant reductions in medication errors across all stages: preparation process, checking process and dispensing process. However, drug waiting time increased resulted from increased number of prescriptions and lower process resources.