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Clarice Brown : Registered Nurse Clarice lost memory and the ability to walk. She is now living pain free at West Park, as she recovers her abilities and achieves new goals.

About West Park

Awards and Distinctions

AUTROS Point-of-care Medication Management System

West Park Wins Award for its Leadership in Medication Management

For its implementation of the AUTROS Point-of-Care Medication Management System, West Park Healthcare Centre was honoured with a 1999 Canadian Information Productivity Award (CIPA) at ceremonies held at the Westin Harbour Castle in downtown Toronto in November 1999.

The CIPA is Canada's premier information management showcase. The annual award ceremony recognizes and honours Canadian organizations that successfully harness the power of information technology. The largest business awards program in the field of technology in Canada, a CIPA is recognized by leaders of business and government as one of the most important tools to improve Canadian competitiveness.

"The pervasiveness of technology in our society is changing the way we interact with each other," notes Mr. Monaghan. "As a leader in health care, we have a commitment to consider the role technology plays in the advancement of client care and safety."

Enhancing Client Care and Safety

The need for more secure, accurate medication management systems in hospitals has become a growing concern for health care consumers and hospital clients. A recent study conducted in the United States revealed that medication mix-ups and dangerous drug interactions rank among patients' leading worries when checking into health care facilities, with 61 per cent fearing that they might be given the wrong medicine.

"The primary objective of the AUTROS Medication Management System is to increase client safety through the elimination of medication errors," Mr. Monaghan explains.

West Park's implementation of AUTROS is in keeping with recommendations of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses' Association, which stressed the need to prevent adverse drug reactions in hospitals. The development of West Park's point-of-care medication management technology was funded entirely by AUTROS Healthcare Solutions.

West Park is the first hospital world-wide to install a completely automated medication management system: a system that integrates point-of-care technology solutions and creates a seamless connection between all members of the client care team.

An Integrated Medication Management System

The AUTROS Point-of-Care Medication Management System combines bar-coding and wireless technologies to link physicians, nurses and the pharmacy at the point of care (i.e. the clients' units). Through the use of hand-held mini-computers, computer networks and medication storage units, clients can now be administered medication through the AUTROS system.

"It operates like a mini-pharmacy," adds Maysea Chan, AUTROS project manager at West Park Healthcare Centre. "The entire medication management process has been streamlined substantially."

The four steps to the AUTROS Point-of-Care Medication Management System

1. Clients receive a bar-coded identification bracelet, which stores information such as their condition, diagnosis, attending physician, client's weight, height and body surface area.

2. At the client's bedside, the physician enters the medication order into the AUTROS system, which monitors for drug interactions, allergies, duplicate therapy and dosage. The order is instantly transmitted to the pharmacy for authorization, and the system instantly updates the client's record and the nurse's hand-held unit.

3. Using the hand-held unit and scanning the bar code on the client's ID bracelet, the nurse confirms the client, medication, dosage and time of drug administration. Once receiving authorization from the nurse, the AUTROS mobile medication storage unit opens the correct drawer and directs the nurse to the bin containing the correct medication. The nurse then scans the bar-coded medication to confirm the information.

4. The nurse scans the client's bracelet for added security, ensuring once again that the right client is receiving the proper medication. The medication is delivered.

This entire activity is electronically monitored by the AUTROS system, automatically updating the client's record and the pharmacy inventory.

"Through the AUTROS system, we are ensuring that the right client gets the right medication at the right dose, at the right time, through the right route," says Eric Paul, president and chief executive officer of AUTROS Healthcare Solutions, located in North York. "This is simply a tool to help the care team provide an efficient, safe service."

For more information on the AUTROS Point-of-care Medication Management system at West Park Healthcare Centre, please contact Maysea Chan at (416) 243-3600 extension 4528, or email at mchan@westpark.org. You can also visit the CIPA web site, or the AUTROS Healthcare Solutions web site.

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