Pharmacy, University of Maryland Medical Center, 20 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2011 Jan 1;68(1):77-83. doi: 10.2146/ajhp100012.
The use of pharmacy delivery robots in an institution's intensive care units was evaluated.
In 2003, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) began a pilot program to determine the logistic capability and functional utility of robotic technology in the delivery of medications from satellite pharmacies to patient care units. Three satellite pharmacies currently used the robotic system. Five data sources (electronic robot activation records, logs, interviews, surveys, and observations) were used to assess five key aspects of robotic delivery: robot use, reliability, timeliness, cost minimization, and acceptance. A 19-item survey using a 7-point Likert-type scale was developed to determine if pharmacy delivery robots changed nurses' perception of pharmacy service. The components measured included general satisfaction, reliability, timeliness, stat orders, services, interaction with pharmacy, and status tracking. A total of 23 pre-implementation, 96 post-implementation, and 30 two-year follow-up surveys were completed. After implementation of the robotic delivery system, time from fax to label, order preparation time, and idle time for medications to be delivered decreased, while nurses' general satisfaction with the pharmacy and opinion of the reliability of pharmacy delivery significantly increased. Robotic delivery did not influence the perceived quality of delivery service or the timeliness of orders or stat orders. Robot reliability was a major issue for the technician but not for pharmacists, who did not have as much interaction with the devices.
By considering the needs of UMMC and its patients and matching them with available technology, the institution was able to improve the medication-use process and timeliness of medication departure from the pharmacy.
评估医疗机构重症监护病房使用药剂科配送机器人的情况。
2003 年，马里兰大学医学中心（UMMC）启动了一项试点计划，旨在确定机器人技术在将药物从卫星药房配送到患者护理单元方面的物流能力和功能实用性。目前有三个卫星药房使用该机器人系统。使用五个数据源（电子机器人激活记录、日志、访谈、调查和观察）评估了机器人配送的五个关键方面：机器人使用、可靠性、及时性、成本最小化和接受程度。开发了一份 19 项的调查，使用 7 点李克特量表来确定药剂科配送机器人是否改变了护士对药剂科服务的看法。测量的内容包括总体满意度、可靠性、及时性、临时医嘱、服务、与药剂科的互动以及状态跟踪。共完成了 23 份实施前、96 份实施后和 30 份两年随访调查。在实施机器人配送系统后，从传真到标签的时间、准备订单的时间以及待配送药物的空闲时间减少了，而护士对药房的总体满意度和对药房配送可靠性的评价显著提高。机器人配送并没有影响对配送服务质量或订单或临时医嘱及时性的看法。机器人的可靠性是技术人员的一个主要问题，但对药剂师来说不是问题，因为他们与这些设备的互动较少。
通过考虑马里兰大学医学中心及其患者的需求，并将其与现有技术相匹配，该机构能够改善用药过程和药物从药房发出的及时性。
