This article discusses on improving healthcare through automated medication systems. The effective and safe handling of medicines is an ongoing concern with many health care services. The primary concern is patient safety during testing and evaluation of new services. Many healthcare centers, therefore, strive to achieve cost-effectiveness through automated medication systems. Increasing health care costs affect budgets and the impact of new initiatives. Decision-makers must prioritize scarce resources and maximize health improvement. The main goal, therefore, is to acquire technology for enhanced care quality. Medical experts test various technologies to determine medication error rates. Lastly, studies suggest that patient identification and alignment through bar code medication administration (BCMA) reduces medication administration errors.
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MEDICATION ERRORS AND THE NEED FOR AUTOMATED MEDICATION
In a technological era, healthcare facilities recognize the need to implement technology for enhanced care quality. The medication administration process from the prescription to the administration of medicine affects a substantial part of the hospitalized population. Medication errors are approximately 5.7% (range 0%–49%) of all medication administrations. Therefore, Automated medication systems are useful in reducing these errors. Medication administration errors are not always harmful. However, errors can cause adverse drug events (ADEs), potentially leading to inconvenience, disability, or death. Therefore, ADEs may result in more extended hospitalization or re-admission, which increases the costs not only for the patient but also for health care providers. This necessitates the need for cost-effectiveness through automated medication systems.
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RESEARCHED TECHNOLOGIES FOR AUTOMATED MEDICATION
Different automated medication systems influence the medication error rate in varying degrees, representing possible cost savings. Automated dispensing is a previously tested technology, but so far, studies show inconsistent results. Experts must evaluate the cost-effectiveness through automated medication systems that reduce the medication error rate. Those which are cost-prohibitive are not sustainable. Additionally, cost-effectiveness evaluations provide essential information for determining whether an intervention represents “good value for money.” This helps in making decisions for prioritizing among different interventions and technologies for enhanced care quality. We need more economic evaluations to strengthen the knowledge base on practices for improving patient safety. Lastly, this will help in understanding the economic consequences of different interventions.
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