New robots are on their way to the pharmacy at HMWB. M.O.W. (Meds-on-Wheels), Astro, Willow, Rosie and Neuron are TUG robots from Aethon, designed to securely deliver medications directly to nursing units throughout the hospital. Using sensors and smart navigation systems, these robots maneuver through hallways and elevators, to reach intended targets. It is hoped that the robots will supplement manual and pneumatic tube deliveries.
The robots have already made some test runs, with plans to gradually expand usage at HMWB starting in mid to late July. The first phase includes deliveries to and from the HMWB central pharmacy, infusion pharmacy and the Hargrave Meds2Bed pharmacy, to be followed by ICU areas and the South Pavillion and then other floors in the North Pavilion. When HM Cypress opens, we hope to use similar med delivery robots there as well.
But these aren’t the first or only robots deployed at HM pharmacies. Since 2008, Swisslog robots have been helping the Dunn Central Pharmacy at HMH dispense medications for daily patient needs. Because Pyxis devices on individual units were being utilized at capacity, a Swisslog robot in the pharmacy is used to pull, organize, and package medications for nurses. Swisslog also sorts the medications in the order in which they are due, to add an extra layer of support.
Using barcodes and data feeds from Epic, the robot is able to fulfill the daily medication needs without the need for human intervention. Millions of doses have been filled by the Swisslog robot, since it was launched, with virtually no attributable errors.
The ability to rely on robots and automated systems to fulfill certain tasks allows our staff to focus on patient care and maximize overall logistics efficiency.
