Researchers at the Hospital of Granada, Institute of biomedical research of Granada and Andalusian spin off Naranjo Intelligent Solutions (NIS) have developed and patented an intelligent system for dispensing medicines and consumables in hospitals called iPharma.
Based on artificial intelligence, this innovative model allows for better control of the distribution and administration of medicines in hospitals. It consists of electronic circuits that are placed in the boxes of medication of patients, and software that uses artificial intelligence.
iPharma consists of three stages of implementation: “The first is the dispensing phase, consisting of the transition of drugs from where they are stored to the boxes destined to patients which then will be transported to plant,” explains to CF Jaime Matas, CEO of NIS. From the prescription, the system identifies both the drug and the patient who should receive it, and the pharmacy technician receives an audio order that indicates the number of doses needed. This information is recorded electronically.
The second phase is stock control. “This wireless technology where circuits communicate with each other will allow us to capture information from all corners, including all medicine kits in each floor. Finally” comments Matas “comes the administration phase, where we will perform security checking to ensure that each patient receives the correct drug in the prescribed dose, the appropriate route and at the right time ”
Since 2015, the three phases are piloting in the Internal Medicine Unit of the University Hospital of Granada. According to Matas, “we have conclusive studies of dispensing and we are ready for commercialization. The other phases will not take much longer because it is a matter of fine-tuning the software, “he stresses.
The results of the first phase revealed that “reduces dispensing errors 27 percent and improves by 50 percent the time of preparation of medicines in the pharmacy,” said Antonio Salmeron, specialist doctor at the area of Hospital Pharmacy . “The team involved in the project has been very pleased with these data and it has only been in the first phase,” qualifies José Cabeza, Head of the Hospital Pharmacy Unit.
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