An evaluation of automated dispensing cabinets and inventory robots for centralised distribution of medication in an Australian hospital.

Objective In Australian hospitals, a central distribution system is often utilised to supply medication to clinical areas. This study investigated the impact of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) and inventory robots in medication distribution within an Australian hospital. Methods A prospective observational study of pharmacy technician medication supply to clinical areas was conducted over a 2-week period pre- and post-implementation of ADCs and inventory robots. Information was collected on the time taken to perform all tasks required to provide a weekly medication supply service for medication other than drugs of addiction. Results There was no significant reduction of total duration for medication supply, pre-implementation mean 73.08min versus post-implementation 68.59min (P =0.567). An instance of automation downtime occurred during the post-implementation period for which manual downtime procedures were implemented. Without downtime, a significant reduction in overall time taken was observed, 74.25min versus 63.18min (P =0.019). Pre-restocking medication selection errors were reduced non-significantly after implementation of inventory robots, 11 (0.43%) versus 4 (0.21%) errors (P =0.090). Conclusions Implementation of ADCs and robots did not significantly reduce the total time to provide a weekly medication supply service when downtime occurred, although a significant reduction was observed when downtime did not occur. Pharmacy medication selection errors were non-significantly lower. What is known about the topic? Australian hospitals are increasingly implementing automated technology such as ADCs and inventory robotics in an attempt to improve efficiency and accuracy of medication supply; however, limited literature is available in an Australian setting. What does this paper add? This paper describes the impact of implementing ADCs in clinical areas (e.g. inpatient wards) and inventory robots in a main store pharmacy on the medication supply process. This paper highlights the benefit of improved efficiency and accuracy in selecting medication in pharmacy for distribution and identifies time to restock the ADCs is significantly increased. What are the implications for practitioners? Implementing ADCs and inventory robotics in Australian hospitals can provide benefits in efficiency and accuracy; however, robust downtime procedures are essential.