Frisius MC has been using two medication robots since the end of last month. The robots should make the use of medication safer, more sustainable and efficient.
The robots are called TheraPick and pack medicines by the piece. TheraPick is a robot developed by Swiss company Swisslog Healthcare. It is an automated packaging and dispensing system, with which Swisslog Healthcare aims to relieve pressure on pharmacies, save space in pharmacies and also reduce the risk of medication errors.
Bundling medicines per patient
Among other things, the robots can slice medicines into strips and hang them on a ring for each patient. This allows the system to bundle all medication prescribed to a patient. In doing so, TheraPick uses a self-learning system to cut medicine strips correctly. It saves the lessons it learns in the process for future use.
TheraPick is suitable for blister packs, also known as push-through packs, among other applications. Swisslog Healthcare reports that when cutting these packages, the medication blister always remains intact.
Tackling waste
Thanks to the use of medication robots, the use of medicines is more efficient, among other things, reports Frisius MC. Previously, for instance, medicines were often not allowed to be returned, which meant they had to be thrown away. Thanks to the use of medication robots, medicines can now be reissued and safely reused. This combats waste and also reduces the impact on the environment.
At the same time, the robots increase medication safety. For instance, all medicines are provided with a unique barcode. Nurses can easily scan these before administration. This should prevent administration errors and make work clearer.
Test period
The commissioning of the medication robots was preceded by a test period on ward T in Frisius MC location Leeuwarden. Now, the hospital pharmacy is also supplying other nursing wards of the hospital with medication using the robots.
Frisius MC speaks of an important step towards safer, more sustainable and efficient care.
Image: Michal Jarmoluk via Pixabay
