ISMP develops guidelines to assist staff members when using automated dispensing cabinets
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
April 30, 2008
The use of automated dispensing cabinets (ADC) is growing and because of that, the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (ISMP) has developed a guide for using them correctly. There has not been any formalized training among the many disciplines that use ADCs since 1998 when the American Society of Health Systems Practitioners published guidelines on using ADCs. The ISMP thought that training was due for an update, and hosted a forum to revise those guidelines.
The group decided on 12 core processes around which to base its guidelines:
- Provision of optimum environmental conditions for the use of ADCs
- Insurance of ADC system security
- Use of pharmacy-profiled ADCs
- Identification of information that should show on the ADC screen
- Selection and maintenance of proper ADC inventory
- Selection of appropriate ADC configuration
- Definition of a secure process for restocking the ADC
- Development of procedures to ensure the accurate medication withdrawal from the ADC
- Establishment of criteria for ADC system overrides
- Standardization of processes for transporting medications from the ADC to the patient’s bedside
- Elimination of the process for returning medications directly to their original ADC location
- Provision of staff education and competency validation for staff members
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