Background

In hospitals, nurses and pharmacists play a vital role in preparing and administering medications to ensure patient safety and treatment effectiveness. However, medication preparation is labor-intensive and prone to errors, with WHO reporting medication errors ranging from 0.3% to 9.1%, and dispensing errors between 1.6% and 2.1%. Challenges include complex regimens, interruptions, precise dosing, and managing high-alert drugs. Many hospitals face these issues, leading to increased error risks, nurse fatigue, workflow inefficiencies, and worsened by nursing and pharmacist shortages. To address this, hospitals seek automated, streamlined systems to improve patient safety and operational efficiency.

Solution

To address these challenges, the hospital has introduced the Advantech AMiS-870 Automated Dispensing Cabinet at the nursing station. This solution streamlines medication management with intelligent RFID-enabled bins, offering flexible configurations with various drawer sizes to accommodate a mix of controlled medications, routine medications, and supplies. The RFID bins support transparent tracking by allowing assignment to specific medication types, enhancing both inventory control and patient safety. The AMiS-870 features a dual locking mechanism, combining a central key and an electronic lock for each RFID bin, which further strengthens medication security and dispensing efficiency.   Additionally, The AMiS-870 is integrated with the web-based medTRx ADC software solution, enabling real-time inventory management and enhancing medication safety. The system automatically alerts pharmacists to depleted or low-stock bins, ensuring inventory accuracy and reducing administrative workload. In parallel, it supports nursing staff in the accurate retrieval of medications, thereby minimizing the risk of human error and promoting a safer, more efficient medication administration process.

Outcome

The hospital has reported significant improvements in medication management efficiency at the nursing station. Specifically, the time required for each medication delivery has been reduced substantially—from 90 minutes to just 10 minutes.. This efficiency gain allows the central pharmacy to supply a larger volume of medications in a single delivery, including routine medications, controlled substances, PRN, STAT, Daily-use supplies, etc. By deploying the AMiS-870 as a floor stock Automated Dispensing Cabinet (ADC), nurses are empowered to safely and efficiently access necessary medications at the point of care. The system ensures end-to-end traceability, reduces the risk of medication errors, and supports compliance with hospital medication safety protocols.   Meanwhile, the enhanced accuracy in medication control has reduced the reliance on night-shift pharmacists, thereby helping to address staffing shortages and alleviate the burden on existing personnel. Furthermore, the improved precision and accountability in medication management have significantly decreased the reliance on night-shift pharmacists, thereby addressing workforce limitations and alleviating the operational burden on existing clinical staff. The integration of the AMiS-870 into the medication distribution workflow has led to enhanced operational efficiency, reinforced medication security, and optimized resource utilization — collectively advancing patient safety, ensuring regulatory compliance, and elevating the overall standard of care.