Summary. Medical carts that support EPMA are crucial in combating medication errors, a significant issue in NHS England, as highlighted by a 2018 research. Dalen Healthcare offers well-designed carts aiding EPMA systems, enhancing patient safety and potentially saving NHS over £98.5 million annually.
Researchers from the Universities of York, Manchester and Sheffield shared this report in 2018. On average, 712 deaths a year were definitively linked to avoidable, adverse drug reactions (ADR), being the main cause of death. It is also estimated that 237 million medication errors occur in NHS England every year. Therefore, this has contributed to the need for solutions. Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA), is one of the ways the NHS is seeking to reduce these errors. Therefore, they need medical carts that support the EPMA systems. EPMA combines three functions to provide clinical staff with an integrated view of a patient’s medication history:
- Electronic communication of a prescription or medicine order.
- Aiding the choice, administration and supply of a medicine through improved record keeping.
- Providing a robust audit trail for the entire medicine distribution process.
In doing so the EPMA delivers a broad range of benefits:
- Patient Safety
- No more illegible, ambiguous or incomplete prescriptions and notes
- Single and comprehensive view of a patient’s current and historical drug record
- Real-time support to guide and improve the appropriateness and accuracy of prescribing
- Real-time view of medicines administration
Alongside a reduction in errors, EPMA is also estimated to reduce the time it takes to prescribe, check, supply and administer in-patient drugs. According to the report, it is estimated that the overall saving to the NHS could be more than £98.5 million per year.
Medical Carts That Support EPMA | Where does Dalen Healthcare fit in?
Increasingly, more and more NHS trusts are implementing EPMA systems. Therefore, in doing so requires additional infrastructure to support the technology. Dalen Healthcare are a provider of medical trolleys that support mobile EPMA systems. For instance, for e-prescribing and digital record keeping at the patient’s bedside. While often overlooked, a well-designed cart is an essential part of any EPMA solution. It plays a key role in the adoption and success of the system by key stakeholders. Our AIO PC (with battery) on wheels is a great example of a cart that is specifically designed to suit the use of all in one computers.
If you would like to find out more about our medical carts for EPMA or the services we offer please get in touch with one of our team. We would be happy to discuss your specific requirements on +44 (0)121 783 3838. Or alternatively e-mail us at sales@dalenhealthcare.co.uk.