Advertisement 1

New system transforms medication dispensing at BCHS

Article content

Every day, Brant Community Healthcare System caregivers administer 4,500 medications to patients.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

It may be something as routine as a blood pressure pill, or sophisticated specially formulated medications for COVID-19 patients on life-supporting ventilators in the intensive care unit, or pain medication for patients in the palliative care unit.

“Our hospital pharmacy team is responsible to ensure that all medications are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the caregivers to provide their patients,” said Lisa Reeder, director of pharmacy, infection control and oncology, with the BCHS, which operates Brantford General Hospital and The Willett in Paris.

Article content

“This is a tremendous responsibility that has an impact on patient safety and the quality of care we provide.”

In 2020, the BCHS board of directors approved the purchase of an automated medication dispensing system. The $2.8-million investment was made to enhance patient safety and quality of care,  while improving workflow and efficiency, which are components of the system’s five-year strategic plan.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“We began planning late in the summer of 2020 in the midst of the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Reeder said.

“And, despite this, we launched the new system within 12 months.”

Reeder said the “major organization-wide undertaking” was led by Kadambani Jain, a clinical pharmacist, and Nicole MacDougall, a registered pharmacy technician.

She noted that more than 500 nurses received hands-on training.

“This is a huge change of practice for nurses.”

Along with developing new processes and training staff, many units throughout BGH and The Willett were renovated with new electrical systems and millwork to accommodate the sophisticated automated medication dispensing system. Forty-five medication stations were installed in all the clinical areas, including 72 cabinets or towers, and 26 medication refrigerators.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

Each station provides computer-controlled storage, dispensing and tracking of medications right at the point-of-care on each clinical unit. Also, two automated storage towers were installed for the pharmacy department to support the monitoring and tracking of narcotics and controlled substances from the time they are received right up to when they are administered.

“Essentially caregivers work with an electronic medication dispensing unit they access with their fingerprint,” Reeder said.

“The system utilizes the barcode on patients’ wristbands – a medication safety feature that already existed at the Brant Community Healthcare System. The barcode verifies that patients are receiving the correct medication.”

The new system has resulted in fewer delays for patients to receive their medication and improved turnaround time for patients to receive their first doses. Medications are reviewed by a pharmacist before being administered.

“Implementing our automated medication dispensing system has been an amazing experience and has transformed the medication distribution at BCHS,” Reeder said

Hospital Insider is written by Gary Chalk, who assists Brant Community Healthcare System with communications.

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers