Remote dispensing
Encyclopedia
Remote dispensing is used in health care
environments to describe the use of automated systems to dispense (package and label) prescription medication
s without an on-site pharmacist
. This practice is most common in long-term care
facilities and correctional institutions
that do not find it practical to operate a full-service in-house pharmacy
.
When patient medications are needed, the orders are submitted to a pharmacist at the central pharmacy, the pharmacist reviews the orders and, when approved, the medications are immediately dispensed from the on-site dispensing unit at the remote care facility. Medications come out of the dispensing machine printed with the patient’s name, medication name, and other relevant information.
If the medication stock in a canister is low, the central pharmacy is alerted to fill a canister from their bulk stock. New canisters are filled, checked by the pharmacist, security sealed, and delivered to the remote care facility.
. A patient with alcohol on his or her breath would go undetected via remote dispensing, increasing the risk for dangerous interactions with drugs such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, narcotics, and warfarin to name a few.
Continuity of care from a single pharmacist is likely to be interrupted, and empathetic care difficult to deliver with remote dispensing.
Remote dispensing has the potential to undermine the services offered by physically present pharmacists. Hands on patient training on inhalers and glucose meters is not feasible with remote dispensing and administration of injections impossible without a physically present pharmacist.
The variety of drugs offered by remote dispensing is limited in comparison to traditional pharmacies.
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
environments to describe the use of automated systems to dispense (package and label) prescription medication
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
s without an on-site pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
. This practice is most common in long-term care
Long-term care
Long-term care is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical need of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods of time....
facilities and correctional institutions
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
that do not find it practical to operate a full-service in-house pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
.
A typical remote-dispensing system
A typical remote-dispensing system is monitored remotely by a central pharmacy and includes secure, automated medication dispensing hardware that is capable of producing patient-specific packages of medications on demand. The secure medication dispensing unit is placed on-site at the care facility and filled with pharmacist-checked medication canisters.When patient medications are needed, the orders are submitted to a pharmacist at the central pharmacy, the pharmacist reviews the orders and, when approved, the medications are immediately dispensed from the on-site dispensing unit at the remote care facility. Medications come out of the dispensing machine printed with the patient’s name, medication name, and other relevant information.
If the medication stock in a canister is low, the central pharmacy is alerted to fill a canister from their bulk stock. New canisters are filled, checked by the pharmacist, security sealed, and delivered to the remote care facility.
Advantages
There are no large scale properly conducted studies that indicate remote dispensing is faster or more accurate than traditional medication delivery and dispensing systems.Disadvantages
Remote dispensing puts a physical barrier between the patient and pharmacist, limiting the pharmacist's ability to detect a patient's physical cues or body languageBody language
Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously....
. A patient with alcohol on his or her breath would go undetected via remote dispensing, increasing the risk for dangerous interactions with drugs such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, narcotics, and warfarin to name a few.
Continuity of care from a single pharmacist is likely to be interrupted, and empathetic care difficult to deliver with remote dispensing.
Remote dispensing has the potential to undermine the services offered by physically present pharmacists. Hands on patient training on inhalers and glucose meters is not feasible with remote dispensing and administration of injections impossible without a physically present pharmacist.
The variety of drugs offered by remote dispensing is limited in comparison to traditional pharmacies.