Smart technology has been applied to a wide range of healthcare services around the globe with the aim of promoting patient safety and staff productivity. Since the implementation of Inpatient Medication Order Entry (IPMOE), the Pharmacy Department of every Kowloon East Cluster (KEC) hospital has proactively introduced intelligent systems, which include Automatic Medication Unit Dose Dispensing System, Smart Medication Cabinet and automatic drug prepacking machines, to manage different areas of pharmacy operation. These automated systems have enhanced the efficiency of drug supply and improved the accuracy of medication inventory.
In recent years, smart initiatives have been implemented among KEC Pharmacies to enable closer inter-hospital collaboration. For example, Haven of Hope Hospital (HHH) is an extended-care hospital without overnight pharmacy service. After the implementation of IPMOE in HHH in 2018, pharmacists from Tseung Kwan O Hospital (TKOH) have provided after-hours IPMOE verification support for HHH inpatients, allowing timely verification of new inpatient drug orders to facilitate drug requisition from Smart Medication Cabinet by nurses. The workflow of drug supply upon patient transfer from United Christian Hospital (UCH) or TKOH to HHH has been streamlined to ensure timely and continuous provision of drug treatment. With the use of automatic prepacking machines, HHH Pharmacy has also served as the Cluster Prepacking Centre to support the operation of other KEC Pharmacies in a cluster-collaborative and cost-effective approach.
The introduction of smart technology to pharmacy services has been challenging yet fruitful. Other healthcare disciplines have given positive feedback on the adoption of intelligent medication management systems. Individual KEC Pharmacies are devoted to the development of new innovative strategies to improve medication safety, ensure security of controlled drugs, save nurses’ time in record keeping and manage ward stock inventory in a real-time manner.
