Impact of a Hospital Pharmacy Technician Facilitated Medication Delivery System

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim To evaluate a hospital pharmacy technician facilitated patient medication delivery system in a rural/regional hospital. Method Pre‐implementation, the medication distribution system on the study medical ward consisted of imprest and individual dispensing with medications administered to patients from medication trolleys. Post‐implementation, the pharmacy technician serviced the medical ward's imprest and individual dispensing and stored in individual bedside drawers. Two missed doses audits were conducted pre‐implementation and two drawer audits conducted post‐implementation. Results The ward pharmacy technician facilitated medication delivery on the medical ward and resulted in a reduction in missed doses, improvement in monitoring medication discrepancies and cost savings. Conclusion A ward pharmacy technician service had a positive impact on medication safety (reduction in missed doses) and cost savings (by avoiding medication wastage).