ANESTHESIA ALERT
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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
What's that you say? You still have to venture out to the storage room
for the specially secured narcotics (which means you first have to find
the person with the keys to that vault)? Double-locking carts make
controlled substances more accessible to anesthesia providers in the
OR while keeping them compliant with regulators' demands. One key
unlocks the entire cart, while another unlocks a particular drawer. So
now we can sign out a box of fentanyl, a box of midazolam and a vial
of ketamine, keeping them in a separate drawer with their sign-out
sheets (as long as we take care to double-lock the cart when it's unat-
tended, of course).
Some manufacturers' carts integrate electronic functions to deliver
a storage and dispensing option that's more sophisticated than a dou-
ble-lock but not as costly as an automated system. The software
securing these carts enables keyless access, identifying authorized
users through numerical codes, proximity keycards or fingerprint
scans. Timed auto-locking prevents entry into unattended carts, and
most models include actual key locks in the event a manual override
is necessary.
As with the centralized systems, adding automation to carts also
adds accountability. Since they do the tabulation for you, they elimi-
nate the need for a controlled substances sign-out log. No more dos-
ing now and reconciling later, a huge step for regulatory compliance
as well as efficiency. In addition, carts that can wirelessly connect to
practice management software or electronic health records systems
can help to accurately capture all charges.
Advice for acquiring
As a manager making a purchasing decision on medication storage,
you must certainly consider the budget. You are not going to get a
Porsche on Ford Focus dollars. But since the working environment is
