LGH gets high-tech meds dispenser

From the Montreal Gazette:
The Lakeshore General Hospital has a new member on its pharmaceutical team: a semi-automated medication distribution system, much like a high-tech vending machine, designed to not only save money but to reduce human error.

"This machine can package medication individually, without human manipulation. This way, surplus tablets can be reused, representing approximate savings of $150,000 per year," said Pierre Gendreau, head of the Pointe Claire hospital's pharmacy department.

Hospital spokesman Louis-Pascal Cyr said that under the old system, patient prescriptions were prepared by hand for four to six-day periods.

"And if a patient left before those periods were up, we'd have to throw away the leftover medication," he said.

"With the new system, patient medications are prepared in sealed packets on a daily basis," Cyr said. "And that translates into less loss of medication," he said. ...more