The pharmacy at
the 18th Medical Group upgraded their Pyxis Medication storage equipment last
month allowing them to save time and better serve their patients.
The Pyxis
MedStation system provides a user-friendly platform to help clinicians dispense
medications more efficiently with integration capabilities not seen in other
systems.
“It allows the pharmacy to see stock
levels of medications throughout the Medical Group from one central terminal,”
said Maj. Richard Caballero, 18th MDG pharmacy flight commander. “This saves us
the time of having to bounce around the different sections to see what they need.”
The system also minimizes the workload
for sections requesting items because we know what they need before they have
to ask, he added.
Additionally, the system’s perpetually
updated inventory saves personnel 5-10 hours a week from repeatedly managing thousands
of tablets on a daily basis.
"Before the Pyxis, the technicians
were manually counting thousands of tablets every day to ensure accountability,"
said Caballero. "The system is important for accountability and decreases
the possibility of the human error factor that can lead to delays or inconsistencies
in patient care."
According to their website, the Pyxis
MedStation uses the CUBIE® system which reduces the risk of
medication errors by restricting access to only one medication at a time,
preventing selecting a medication in the wrong pocket.
“It impacts the pharmacy and the clinic
staff directly by increasing accountability and efficiency,” said Caballero. “It
also impacts patients indirectly because of the increased efficiency of the
appointments in the clinic with providers less likely to have to reach back to
the pharmacy for something they need while the patient is waiting.”
Each patient’s prescription history can
be recalled in the system, enabling pharmacists and doctors to know what works
best for every case, added Master Sgt. Sonyea Woolfolk, 18th MDG NCO in charge
of pharmacy services.
"If a patient is prescribed
something and they come back a week later still sick or they had a reaction to
the medication, the system will tell us what exactly was given to them without
having to spend too much time digging," said Caballero. "This makes
it easier for us and the doctors to see what needs to be changed in order to
get the patients better."
Caballero added, overall the newly implemented
system helps the pharmacy be more efficient, with less room for error giving
the patients, an overall better experience.