Objective:

Impact evaluation of expenditure, consumption and acceptability in the implementation of the electronic prescription and the automatic dispensing cabinet in a hospitalization unit.

Material and methods:

Pre-post implantation comparative retrospective study, in which the consumption (units) and expenditure (euros) of drugs were compared during 2 periods, pre-period (January-November 2017) and post-period (January-November 2018). The economic impact of the implementation was measured by applying the costs of 2017 to the activity of 2018. A survey was also carried out to assess the safety, quality of care and acceptability of nursing staff of the unit.

Results:

Total units of drugs consumed after implementation were 5.76% lower compared to the previous period. The distribution of unit consumption according to the route of administration was similar between both periods. During the period of 2018, spending on medicines was 2.76% higher, associated with an increase in activity, spending and consumption weighted by income, 10% and 16.5% lower, respectively. The economic impact of the implementation meant a decrease in the cost of medicines of 15,656 euros. The result of the surveys yielded a positive evaluation in security, more than 70% of the nurses considered the automated dispensing cabinet prevent administration in case the allergies and the errors in the selection of medicines. Conclusions: Implementation of electronic prescription and automatic dispensing cabinet produce a decrease in the healthcare costs. As well as a better adaptation to the prescription and an increase in the safety use of medicines. The nursing staff recognizes this new system as safer than the manual floor stock system.

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