Prevent Adverse Drug Events With Mobile Technology

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, adverse drug events (ADEs) result in more than 770,000 injuries and deaths per year and cost up to $5.6 million per hospital. This estimate does not even include ADEs causing admissions, malpractice and litigation costs, or the costs of injuries to patients. National hospital expenses to treat patients who suffer from ADEs during hospitalization are estimated at between $1.56 and $5.6 billion annually.

The underlying cause of many ADEs, quite frankly, is human error. Most ISMP (Institute For Safe Medication Practices) guidelines state that clinicians should administer patient medications one at a time. In other words, clinicians are instructed to access secure cabinets to retrieve medications for a specific patient, hand carry, and administer the meds at the bedside. This process should be repeated for each patient a clinician or nurse treats throughout the day. However, in the real world, this process isn't always followed due to its inefficiency. Instead, some clinicians access all patient meds simultaneously and transport them in pockets or in soufflé cups on trays. Administration of these medications is often interrupted, given a clinician's hectic schedule. For example, a nurse's day-to-day activities are commonly interrupted by phone calls, family interaction, and patient emergencies. All of these occurrences can disrupt the flow in which patients receive their medications, contribute to human error, and ultimately result in ADEs.

Barcodes Offer Patient, Medication Verification
A key technology to reducing the number of ADEs hospitals experience are barcode medication administration (BCMA) systems that help match the correct patient with the correct medication and dose. "The latest ASHP [American Society of Health-System Pharmacists] survey states that approximately 23% to 25% of hospitals have implemented some type of BCMA system," says Len Hom, product manager of mobile medication solutions for Omnicell. "The survey also states that 60% to 70% of hospitals that don't currently use a BCMA system plan to adopt and implement one within the next three years."

The popularity of these BCMA systems may be a result of the anticipated impact they can have in the area of ADEs. For example, the FDA recently projected that BCMA systems alone could eliminate 500,000 ADEs, reduce medication errors by 50%, and generate $93 billion in cost savings over the next 20 years.

Secure Mobile Carts Add A Layer Of Efficiency
While a proponent of BCMA systems, Hom believes this technology is more effective when part of a larger solution that integrates the BCMA with the secure medication cabinet and secure mobile cart technology. "Integrating these technologies creates an end-to-end solution for drug administration," says Hom. "For example, a clinician can access all patient medications from secure cabinet at once and assign each drawer on the mobile cart to a specific patient. These doors are only unlocked at the bedside when a barcode wristband is scanned and the patient is verified. Not only does this provide an added layer of security to the process, but it also makes transporting the medications more efficient for the clinician."

Omnicell is currently beta testing and benchmarking a mobile medication system that integrates the three technologies referenced above. "The best way to impact patient safety and reduce ADEs is by making the clinician more efficient," adds Hom. "By eliminating or automating steps in clinician processes, you can eliminate opportunities for distraction and catastrophic error."

Ken Congdon is Editor In Chief of Health IT Outcomes. He can be reached at ken.congdon@jamesonpublishing.com.