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DOSE-DISPENSED MEDICINE IN SECTOR TRANSITIONS BETWEEN HOSPITAL AND HOME

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European Statement

Patient Safety and Quality Assurance

Author(s)

Anette Thomsen, Sarah Mejlvang, Maria Grønkjær

Why was it done?

Automatic multidose Dispensing System (ADS) was implemented in April 2024 in the Hospital Pharmacy Central Denmark Region.
Before the implementation, new software functionalities were developed in the medication module (MEM) of the electronic patient record. The development included creation of new workflows in the wards and in the Pharmacy. A new functionality makes it possible for nurses and pharmaconomists at the hospitals to manually order dose-dispensed medicine (DDM) to patients who are discharged from the wards. The orders are sent from MEM to the ADS on one patient for a given time period. Medication can be ordered hourly until noon.

What was done?

Medicine for 1-5 days of use can be dose-dispensed (DD) for the patients ready for discharge, which gives the following advantages:
-Improved patient safety. The transition from hospital to home now uses a concept regarding DDM that is known in the primary healthcare sector.
-Increased time for the patient to buy new medication at a local pharmacy after discharge.
-Extra time for newly added/removed drugs to be incorporated in future DDM from local pharmacies.
-Less time spent by nurses dispensing medicine for patients who are being discharged.

How was it done?

To support patients in the transition between hospital and home it has been important to make an easy way to order and dispense medication. Following developing tasks has been made:
-Identification of needed functionalities
– Identification of necessary IT-support
– Requirement for ADS
-Developments in MEM Development and implementation of new workflows in the clinic
All points were created in collaboration between doctors, nurses, IT specialists and pharmacy staff.
The development took around one year

What has been achieved?

All clinical wards that receive DDM can now manually order DDM for patients who are on their way home. This is a great help in the clinics.

What next?

Extending the timespan in which it is possible to order DDM to patients who are being discharged is planned.
Qualitative studies in patient safety for patients receiving dose dispensed medicine in the transition between Hospital and home is considered.

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