Harrisburg, PA – Professor Amar Ramudhin, PhD, Program Lead of Information Systems Engineering and Management at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU), has had an original, peer-reviewed, co-authored research paper published in Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA).
The paper, entitled, “Impact of automated dispensing solutions in long-term care facilities and closed-door pharmacies: A mixed methods study of medication management,” provides expert analysis of automated dispensing cabinets (ADC), like Pyxis™ MedBank™, and the greater role they might play in pharmacies and long-term care facilities. Using MedBank™ as a case study, the project concluded that automated dispensing tools can improve clinical workflows, reduce burdens on healthcare providers, and lead to greater operational and financial efficiency.
By comparing automated dispensing to manual emergency medication kits, the authors assessed various ways to manage “first,” “missing,” and “emergency dose” medications over a span of 90 days. Their findings indicated:
- A 71 percent reduction in medication retrieval times compared to manual intervention.
- A 96 percent reduction in the cost to deliver unscheduled medications to patients.
- A cost savings of $8,900 across two long-term health facilities over the 90-day period.
- A time savings of 59% and 80%, respectively, for medication preparation time and pharmacist check-time in pharmacies.
- A reduction of $10,000 in standing medication inventory, leading to an increased number of medication types available on-site.
The study also included a perception survey of 40 nurses, which demonstrated that a clear majority preferred the retrieval and documentation process provided by ADCs, compared with incumbent methods.
“When it comes to delivering the right medication to the correct patient at the proper time, every minute counts,” said Professor Ramudhin. “We see an especially critical need for efficient and cost-effective medication delivery in long-term care environments. Patients in these facilities have complex needs and often experience high ratios of patients to providers. Making the case for automated medication dispensing should help our healthcare providers alleviate their ongoing labor shortages while ensuring the highest level of patient care possible.”
The healthcare system in the United States faces several challenges simultaneously. A rapidly aging population is straining home-care and long-term care providers to the breaking point. A report published by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the US a “D+” grade in 2017, citing the $750 billion per year – 30 percent of total healthcare spending – wasted on excessive costs and general inefficiencies. Automated dispensing cabinets offer a compelling engineering solution for one major source of unnecessary waste.
This research is timely, given the healthcare industry’s push to do more with less amidst ongoing staffing challenges. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates massive growth for key healthcare roles, with “faster” or “much faster than average” job growth for 2022–2032, including Home Health and Personal Care Aides (804,600 new jobs expected), Medical Assistants (105,900 new jobs expected) and Registered Nurses (177,400 new jobs expected). Other valuable medical careers set to grow in the coming years include Nursing Assistants and Orderlies, with 58,400 new jobs expected by 2032, and Pharmacists, with 8,700 new jobs expected.
This research will likely prove invaluable for healthcare providers and researchers studying and innovating in the ever-changing healthcare landscape. Having safer, smarter, and more straightforward methods for delivering medications to patients will improve outcomes and help care facilities address the needs of greater numbers of patients. The world’s healthcare systems continue to face major challenges, from exploding populations to decades of underinvestment, but technology continually provides novel tools for addressing these growing pains. Thanks to research like this, the industry will soon have more methods at its disposal for putting patients front-and-center and ensuring the best results.
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