Assessment of informatization for the dispensing of medications at a university hospital

Authors

  • Sônia Aparecida Dias Serafim Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto
  • Aldaisa Cassanho Forster Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto
  • Maria Jacira Silva Simões Universidade Estadual Paulista; Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas
  • Thais Rodrigues Penaforte Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-59322010000400011

Keywords:

Dispensing of medications, Medication errors, Hospital pharmacy, Informatics, Electronic prescription

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Informatics and automation are important tools for the reduction of work, errors and costs in a hospital pharmacy. OBJECTIVES: To describe the structuring and function of an informatized system for the dispensing of medications and to assess its effect on nursing and pharmacy services during the period from 1997 to 2003. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive and retrospective study, we performed an analysis of documents addressing the structuring and implementation of the informatized medication dispensing system. In addition, we analyzed the perceptions of nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants who participated in the structuring phase of the system when interviewed about the effect of informatization on administrative aspects (e.g., requisition of medications, presentation of the dispensed medication and system operationalization). RESULTS: The major advantages provided by the new system were 1) the elimination of manual transcripts for prescribed medications, 2) increased speed, 3) better identification of the doses prescribed by physicians, 4) medication labels containing all necessary identification and 5) practicality and safety of optical bar code-based verification of the requested and dispensed medications. CONCLUSIONS: The great majority of the interviewees considered the informatized medication supply system to be of good quality. Analysis of the data provided information that could contribute to the expansion and refinement of the system, provide support for studies regarding the utilization of medications and offer new perspectives for work and productivity.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2010-01-01

Issue

Section

Clinical Sciences

How to Cite

Serafim, S. A. D., Forster, A. C., Simões, M. J. S., & Penaforte, T. R. (2010). Assessment of informatization for the dispensing of medications at a university hospital . Clinics, 65(4), 417-424. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1807-59322010000400011