Implementation of an automated dispensing cabinet system and its impact on drug administration: Longitudinal study

Abstract

Background: A technology that has been widely implemented in hospitals in the United States is the automated dispensing cabinet (ADC), which has been shown to reduce nurse drug administration errors and the time nurses spend administering drugs. Objective: This study aimed to determine the impact of an ADC system on medication administration by nurses as well as safety before and after ADC implementation. Methods: We conducted a 24-month-long longitudinal study at the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Clinical observations and questionnaires were used to evaluate the time differences in drug preparation, delivery, and returns in the inpatient ward by nurses before and after using the ADC. Drug errors recorded in the Medical Incident Events system were assessed the year before and after ADC implementation. Results: The drug preparation time of the wards increased significantly (all P