Pharmacists and anesthetists affirm IDENTI’s Narcotics Cabinet to be, “safe, comfortable and efficient – the new narcotics management system in operating rooms”
In our review of the introduction of the Narcotics Cabinet into the above hospital we chose to present the background that preceded the decision to purchase the system, the tailored solution provided and the benefits that the team has highlighted since the new narcotics dispensing system was installed.
The Problem
In the year the system was installed, new safety procedures came into force relating to:
- the usage of narcotic drugs
- the requirement for hospitals and pharmacies to include the storage of anesthetics under maximum protection
- managing the process of recording each controlled drug used against the individual patient and their procedure reference.
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The lack of an automatic reporting procedure prior to the installation of the new system, caused several problems:
For Physicians:
- valuable work time was lost due to the filling out of forms relating to unused medication post surgery
- further time (plus worry) then occurred while the physician sought the necessary authorized signature at the end of the drug destruction or return process
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For Pharmacy staff:
- difficulty keeping track of usage data
- managing the dispensing process with each physician individually
- difficulty estimating inventory quantities
- avoiding inventory deficiencies
- time required to undertake stock control
- difficulty keeping track of expiration dates
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A Chief Pharmacist describes how things were prior to the introduction of the Narcotics Cabinet:
“The problem was that the manner in which each doctor conducted himself in front of the pharmacy was individually, he was responsible for his own daily inventory and for reporting the ‘transactions’ on forms. When it comes to a large team, manual follow-up became quite complicated.”
The Solution
An automated drug management system that includes a secure storage cabinet, inventory management software, and a full interface that can access the patient file.
The hospitals were looking for a solution that would give them control over the entire drug issuance process from start to finish, including monitoring the operating staff. A solution that would facilitate the cumbersome procedure of dealing with paperwork, and more importantly, would ensure full compliance with the necessary security conditions for storing narcotics.
The Results
- Full report to the patient file: The automated medication-taking process requires physicians to enter the patient’s name and procedure number, all reporting data was automatically communicated to the patient’s medical file. The pharmacy can therefore undertake useful reports and retrieve past data in an easy and convenient way.
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“To me, it was important that there wouldn’t be a personal inventory for each physician, but one central inventory that is automatically managed with clinical correlation. Therefore, the great advantage is the system’s logical ability to manage a computerized database. Says an anesthetist.
- Treatment of returned drugs and destruction: Each doctor securely returns and records the medications to a specific cell, so that the pharmacy has the option to keep track of the doctor’s name, patient’s name, procedure, and the medicine that was returned/destroyed, all simultaneously.
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“Entering the report directly in the system and the electronic signature closes all the corners. The chance of error decreases to zero”
- Remote inventory management and real-time alerts: The system issues warning reports, inventory quantities and lists expired items that are all updated and accessible in real-time, helping to ensure that the pharmacies do not miss a thing. Treating ‘exceptions’ such as broken ampoules or withdrawing a large amount of medication at once, are also neatly documented in the databases.
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- Pharmacy working relationship with doctors: The issuance process is performed to all doctors in a centralized manner via the system. The pharmacy is responsible for filling the cabinet and controlling the reports created.
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“The dynamics with the doctors have greatly improved. Today I have the tools to complete with the doctor the missing information.”
- Maximum security-minimum time: Access is only possible through a personal and secure identification procedure. You can choose between face recognition, biometric access control, personal tag or user information entry. The double-locked storage compartments ensure maximum protection for the narcotic drugs. The system meets all the requirements of the Ministry of Health and meets all the most advanced and strict safety standards in the world, along with huge savings in the work time of the medical staff.
Since its launch a year ago, the system has been installed at ten sites across Israel and is a comprehensive solution to the complex and high-risk reality faced by Pharmacists and Anesthesiologists.
“The implementation process of the system was fast, the IDENTI team helped and allowed us to make changes so that the system would suit our personal needs. Since the system, the number of exceptional cases has dropped to a single case per month.”
The Narcotics Cabinet is a proven tool in improving the management and control of narcotics and controlled substances in the healthcare setting. The cabinet supports decentralized dispensing by clinicians while facilitating strong pharmacy management.
The Narcotics Cabinet is easy to use at the point of care by physicians – it provides a quick and easy way to dispense and track narcotics, ensuring full accountability.
Contact us for more information on how this product could benefit your organization.
