A new automated dispensing cabinet has been installed at Mount Barker District Soldier’s Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED), improving medication safety for patients, increasing medication storage capacity in the ED and making efficient use of nursing time accessing medicines.
The purchase was made possible through approximately $35,000 in funding provided by The Hospital Research Foundation Group.
As Mount Barker’s population grows, the number and complexity of hospital presentations has increased. Strategies to support consumers accessing medical care close to home include increasing the range of medicines readily available in the ED by installing the new automated dispensing cabinet.
Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network Regional Lead Pharmacist, Caroline Earley, said:
“The new automated dispensing cabinet is a significant improvement in medication management and medication safety for our Emergency Department, and has been welcomed by pharmacy, nursing and medical staff.
“Implementing this new device brings benefits to patients receiving care, by storing a larger range of medicines appropriate for the varied presentations we see at Mt Barker Emergency Department.
“The new cabinet will improve medication safety by reducing the potential for delayed or missed doses of medicines and improving accurate medication selection. It will also significantly increase medication storage capacity, reduce the time nurses spend selecting medicines, and enable accurate and rapid ordering processes by the pharmacy team.
“I thank The Hospital Research Foundation Group for their generous donation which has made this purchase possible.”
The grant was part of a larger $268,000 commitment to regional hospitals from The Hospital Research Foundation Group.
