iPharma an intelligent system to improve the efficiency and safety of the dispensing processes of medicines and consumables in hospitals
Researchers at the University Hospital Complex of Granada belonging to the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA) have developed with the Granada company Naranjo Intelligent Solutions (NIS), an intelligent system to improve the efficiency and safety of the dispensing processes of medicines and consumables in hospitals, Called iPharma. This innovative system has been patented by SAS and NIS through the Innovation and Technology Transfer Unit of the Foundation for Biosanitary Research of Eastern Andalusia (FIBAO).
It is a R + D + i technological solution developed, validated and patented by researchers from the Pharmacy Service of this hospital environment. NIS has received the award for the best Spin-Off from the UGR and the Andalucía Emprende award from the province of Granada for this translational project.
Basic aspects to consider:
- The distribution of drugs in hospitals is one of the key processes in hospital pharmacy services. Although it is a logistical act, it is necessary to take into account that the product that is administered is a medicine intended for a patient with a specific pathology, which requires following a procedure of optimal efficiency, since it is necessary to guarantee that the patient receives the right drug in the prescribed dose, by the right route of administration, and at the right time.
- The recently approved Law 1/2015 on guarantees and rational use of medicines and health products, establishes that the functions of the Hospital Pharmacy Units must assume technical responsibility for the acquisition, quality, conservation and dispensing of medicines and health products ( both those for regular use and those that require special surveillance and control) within the center. To do this, they must have an effective and safe distribution system for them, with the implementation of measures that guarantee their correct administration and control the drugs stored in plant warehouses.
- The system has been piloted at the Granada University Hospital Complex during 2015, with the following results:
- It has been piloted in the internal medicine unit of the center in order to optimize its operation and to identify aspects for improvement.
- It has been found that the system optimizes the filling time of unit-dose carts, reduces dispensing errors by preventing the medication from being deposited in an inappropriate location, and improves ergonomics in the workstation of technical personnel when performing validation at the same point where the medication is deposited.
- On the other hand, it has been verified with this technology, that in the warehouse of the hospitalization and consultation rooms, the replacement of various materials can be carried out, at the exact moment that it is identified that a certain product is running out. This will allow the intelligent management of orders, based on the analysis of the historical information and the current status of the hospital that is being collected in the system, all integrated with the logistics platform for medicines and consumables of the Andalusian Health Service.
- Finally, an action protocol is being tested with this technology that allows addressing and solving possible errors during the process of administering medications to the patient.
IPharma operation details:
The patent describes a system made up of electronic devices and software that uses artificial intelligence, which, based on the medical prescription, identifies the medicine and the patient who must receive it, which allows this information to be electronically registered for its preparation (before this process was manual). In addition to dispensing and administration, with this technology, stock control and replenishment of medications can be optimized, since the hospital pharmacy unit has real-time knowledge of the quantity, as well as the precise moment in which it must replenish a drug and / or consumables.
IPharma benefits:
1.- It will improve patient safety, since possible errors in the dispensing and administration of drugs (patient, drugs, dose, time and correct administration) are minimized as the procedure is computerized.
2.- Stock control and replacement of drugs and consumables will be optimized.
3.- Professionals gain agility in the drug preparation procedure, the time spent on dispensing tasks is reduced and ergonomics and conditions in their workplace are improved.
4.- It affects cost savings derived from errors in dispensing, administration, stock and replacement of medicines and consumables.
5.- It affects a saving of costs associated with the time used in the tasks derived from the dispensing, administration, stock and replacement of medicines and consumables.
At the moment, the public hospitals in the province of Granada are interested in its implementation and have been the first to know about it. Its extension to the hospitals of the Andalusian Public Health System and private hospitals, as well as Socio-Health Centers is proposed. It will be gradually opened to the rest of the autonomous communities of Spain, and the international market is currently being studied by extending the patent internationally in 146 countries (PCT).