Cairns Hospital is embracing cutting edge technology, with the installation of three robots in its pharmacy to aid safer and more efficient distribution of medication to hospitalised patients.
The hospital has implemented three state-of-the-art Rowa Vmax medication dispensing robots, revolutionising pharmacy workflow and enhancing patient care.
The $1.75 million system is designed to automate the storage, retrieval and dispensing of medications when required to fill a prescription or ward order across the entire hospital.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Leena Singh said the technology represented a significant investment in the future of healthcare delivery, ensuring improved efficiency, accuracy and safety in storage and dispensing of medication.
‘Our robots can dispense meds at a rate of 5-9 seconds, depending on the number of items requested,’ Ms Singh said.
‘The robots are saving us approximately five hours per day in medication processing activity.’
‘This allows our clinical assistants to focus on other tasks, such as supporting our health services on the wards with increased demand on the hospital.
‘This improved accuracy in supply leads to improved safety for patients.
‘This is also an example of our investment in technology and innovation that we will be doing more of in the near future to improve the healthcare needs of our region.’
Cairns Hospital’s pharmacy department dispenses over 400 items to patients and supplies more than 1000 items to wards and clinics per day across the hospital.
This can range from basic pharmaceutical products such as paracetamol that may be needed in the Emergency Department, through to high-end chemotherapy drugs that are required in the Liz Plummer Cancer Care Centre.
Cairns Hospital director of Pharmacy, Jason Black, said the robots could manage thousands of medications, allowing them to store and retrieve items from multiple levels of compact shelving, helping maximise the use of available storage space.
‘They also feature real-time stock monitoring, which prevents stockouts, reduces excess inventory, and improves overall inventory accuracy,’ Mr Black said.
‘By integrating the robots into our daily operations, we are setting a new standard in pharmacy automation. This supports us in ensuring medication safety and improve the overall experience for staff.’