Pharmacy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pharmacy, including details on drug stores, prescriptions, health care. | ||||||||
|
Medication order communication using fax and document-imaging technologies.Simonian AI Sharp HealthCare, 8965 Spectrum Center Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. PURPOSE: The implementation of fax and document-imaging technology to electronically communicate medication orders from nursing stations to the pharmacy is described. METHODS: The evaluation of a commercially available pharmacy order imaging system to improve order communication and to make document retrieval more efficient led to the selection and customization of a system already licensed and used in seven affiliated hospitals. The system consisted of existing fax machines and document-imaging software that would capture images of written orders and send them from nursing stations to a central database server. Pharmacists would then retrieve the images and enter the orders in an electronic medical record system. The pharmacy representatives from all seven hospitals agreed on the configuration and functionality of the custom application. RESULTS: A 30-day trial of the order imaging system was successfully conducted at one of the larger institutions. The new system was then implemented at the remaining six hospitals over a period of 60 days. The transition from a paper-order system to electronic communication via a standardized pharmacy document management application tailored to the specific needs of this health system was accomplished. CONCLUSION: A health system with seven affiliated hospitals successfully implemented electronic communication and the management of inpatient paper-chart orders by using faxes and document-imaging technology. This standardized application eliminated the problems associated with the hand delivery of paper orders, the use of the pneumatic tube system, and the printing of traditional faxes. Published 5 March 2008 in Am J Health Syst Pharm, 65(6): 570-3.
© 2005-2008 Pharmacy Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
| ||||||
