On the road to vision zero: How unit-dose dispensing systems and health-IT are transforming clinical practices

Saskia Herrmann, Natalie Bräuer, Tobias Zimmermann, Thomas Steiner, Dominic Fenske and Jana Gerstmeier

PLOS Digital Health, 2025, vol. 4, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: The study investigates real-world prescribing patterns and validation workflows linked to the implementation of a Unit-Dose Dispensing System (UDDS) within a digital medication management framework. The overall goal is to enhance medication safety, minimize errors, and improve clinical efficiency and workflow processes. Retrospective analysis of prescription data from the Electronic Medication System (EMS) in 2023 at a large tertiary care teaching hospital focused on physicians` prescribing patterns, drug compatibility with UDDS, and challenges faced by pharmacists during validation. Interactive dashboards provided real-time insights into prescription types, volumes, timing, and pharmacist validation rates. Of the 4.7 million doses prescribed in 2023, 64% were UDDS-compatible, highlighting its strong potential to streamline workflows and reduce nursing workload on the wards. Dashboard analysis revealed a clear alignment between peak prescribing times and UDDS production schedules, indicating effective synchronization between clinical and logistical workflows. Notably, an average of 631.6 blister-packable doses per day remained unvalidated by clinical pharmacists due to contraindications, dosage discrepancies, or duplicate prescriptions, emphasizing the need for enhanced health-IT support to address these gaps. UDDS combined with interactive dashboards enables targeted filtering and rapid identification of trends and gaps in pharmacotherapy. Integrating UDDS into a digital medication management framework offers significant potential to improve patient safety and operational efficiency. Key challenges in implementing UDDS into routine clinical practice were identified. Adhering to prescription submission cut-off times is essential to ensure UDDS effectiveness. Tailoring UDDS workflows and interactive dashboards to department-specific needs can further improve medication safety, strengthen pharmacists’ oversight, and support the long-term sustainability of safe and efficient medication practices.Author summary: Unit-Dose Dispensing Systems (UDDS) are transforming the hospital landscape. Innovative health-IT tools, such as interactive dashboards, enable smarter and safer medication management, that are tailored to the needs of each clinical department. While the safety benefits of UDDS are well-established, its effects on efficiency, usability and staffing remain underexplored. Our study shows that 64% of all prescriptions can be managed via UDDS, significantly easing nursing workloads on the wards. Advanced dashboards deliver real-time insights into physicians` prescribing patterns and timing, enhancing the clinical pharmacists’ workflows and supporting efficient UDDS production. Our findings underscore the importance of aligning pharmacy processes with ward routines to maximize the productivity of UDDS in a digital hospital setting.

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pdig00:0001023

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0001023

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