Tugun Satellite Hospital – co-named Banyahrmabah, meaning “a place to be made healthy” – has paved the way for the future of medication administration with the introduction of Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADCs).
The ADCs are locked computer-controlled machines that store, dispense, and track medication, simplifying and de-risking the medication dispensing process.
Now in use at both the Kidney Dialysis and Minor Injury and Illness Clinics, Director of Pharmacy Liz Coombes said the ADCs offer an elevated level of security while reducing selection errors.
“They also integrate with the pharmacy digital application for re-ordering and replace the need for safes and drug registers – this alone will save hundreds of nursing hours when administering S8 medicines.
“Moving forward, all new Gold Coast Health infrastructure projects will be fitted with ADCs as the primary medication storage option.”
Clinical Nurse at Tugun Caroline Sweeney has been using the system since it went live late February.
“To use the Automatic Dispensing Cabinet, it’s as simple as swiping your ID card and using your biometric fingerprint scan,” Caroline said.
“Once logged in, a list of patients and their medication charts can be accessed and selected.
“After selecting the appropriate medication, the machine will automatically dispense the exact quantity needed for each patient upon request.
“It’s as simple as that.”
