Pharmacy robots make dispensing medication to patients safer
Ensuring the right medicine gets to the right patient with the correct dosage is critical. Four state-of-the-art robots at the new Parkland will allow staff to quickly and safely deliver the right medication to patients.
The robots package individual doses of pills in small plastic bags with bar codes to identify the medication. By scanning the medication bar code and then the bar code on the patient’s wristband, medical care providers can confirm that the correct drug and dosage is dispensed to the correct patient based on the doctor’s orders in the patient’s medical record.
The robots also securely store all medication and automate retrieval of refrigerated and non-refrigerated medications. They ensure only a single box can be accessed at a time. Scan-in/scan-out technology increases safety during dispensing while providing inventory tracking.
While the current hospital has two robots, which dispense about 60 percent of the medication for the hospital, the new facility will have four robots that will process about 80 percent of patient medication doses.
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