Perry V. Ruspantine, CRNA, APRN
ANESTHESIA ALERT
1 1 6
O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 4
For Safe Drug Storage, Automation's the Answer
Computerized cabinets make it easy to pull meds for your cases.
N
ot very long
ago, anesthesia
providers
working at facilities
without pharmacy
departments visited a
centrally located,
locked medication
supply room or closet
before the day began
to load up for the sur-
gical schedule. While
this system was sim-
ple, it wasn't perfect.
Pulling the cases took
a lot of staff time, as
did taking inventory
later on. Return visits
between cases, by the
providers or the circu-
lators they sent running for them, were sometimes necessary. "Who's
got the key?" was a common refrain. And the tendency of some
providers to stock up now and worry about documentation at the end
of the day often led to questions of accountability down the road.
Now, of course, we have automated medication storage and dispens-
ing systems. Installed in a central location, the computerized cabinet
technology still limits access to drugs and supplies to keep them secure.
But its electronic operation can decrease the time it takes your staff to
EASY ACCESS Automated medication
storage systems provide security and
efficiency. Note the infrared fingerprint
reader to the right of the keyboard.
Perry
V.
Ruspantine,
CRNA,
APRN