Baylor University Hospital Study Shows DocuTrack Increases Pharmacy Productivity
DENVER – April 21, 2005 – Remote physician order scanning systems (ROSS) can reduce the time pharmacists spend filling prescriptions by an average of 35%, a 2004 study at Baylor University Hospital’s central pharmacy shows.
The study, presented today in a poster at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2005 meeting in Denver, was conducted by Sujits S. Sansgiry, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Texas Medical
Center.
"When you consider that approximately 3,000 paper orders are faxed to the central pharmacy per month from 40 different nursing stations within Baylor University Heath Care System, the impact of ROSS technology is significant," said Sansgiry.
Physician orders were faxed at each nursing station using the Integra DocuTrack system, and images were sent electronically to the pharmacists’ workstations for immediate verification. The system included a Stat queuing system to provide faster turnaround time for urgent prescription orders.
The study was jointly sponsored by the schools of pharmacy at Baylor and the University of Houston.
Study Parameters
Sansgiry evaluated time required to process orders, order complexity, number of drugs per order, order type (now, Stat or routine), and interventions by the pharmacist to verify the order.
A total of 1,091 prescription orders were collected randomly--530 orders one month prior to installation of DocuTrack and 561 orders during six months after installation of DocuTrack.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of a ROSS on the workload of pharmacists to process prescription orders.
Baylor Prior to the DocuTrack System
Before implementation of the DocuTrack system, tracking of medication orders faxed to the central pharmacy was not possible, so pharmacists needed to follow up on lost orders with nursing units, reducing pharmacist efficiency. Similarly, nursing-unit personnel did not have an adequate system to manage the prescription orders that are faxed. As a result, nurses had to engage in the timeconsuming administrative tasks of collecting and verifying medication orders.
Potential Gains
Implementation of the new system may lead to streamlined workflow by eliminating nursing calls to pharmacy and vice versa, according to Sansgiry, who notes "that improved medication turnaround time and efficiencies can result, as well as increased patient safety through a reduction in transcription
errors."
About Integra
Established in 1997, Integra is the leading provider of pharmacy clinical document management solutions. More than 100 healthcare facilities use Integra solutions to help reduce decrease costs, operate more efficiently, and minimize errors--ultimately contributing to improved clinical and financial outcomes. For more information, visit www.integragroup.com.