Improving Delivery Times for Inpatient Meds

Delivering medications late is not good for the patient or the hospital. And inpatient pharmacies have a tough job to keep up with demand. Since the pharmacy is responsible for medication management, a team in Redwood City worked with the medical-surgical team to help streamline this process. They posted laminated cards of commonly used drugs, made early deliveries to ensure timely preparation for the patient, and regularly updated nurses’ phone numbers. In a two-year span, the team was able to reduce their overdue medications from 26 percent to 13 percent.

Here's What Worked

• Posting laminated cards at med stations of commonly used drugs and where these are regulary stored
• Delivering drugs 15 minutes prior to adminstration to allow time to be prepared
• Color-coding bins of new meds to distinguish from a patient’s discontinued meds

What can your team do to plan ahead and prepare in advance to anticipate patient needs?