Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug 25:10:20552076241264641.
doi: 10.1177/20552076241264641. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Evaluation of the automated dispensing cabinets users' level of satisfaction and the influencing factors in Al-Ahsa hospitals

Manar K Alomair  1 , Lama S Alabduladheem  1 , Marwah A Almajed  1 , Amjad A Alobaid  1 , Maged E Mohamed  1 , Abdulaziz O Alsultan  2 , Nancy S Younis  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the automated dispensing cabinets users' level of satisfaction and the influencing factors in Al-Ahsa hospitals

Manar K Alomair et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are decentralized, computer-controlled systems used to store, distribute, and track medications at the point of care in the wards.

Objective: The objective of the current study is to evaluate how healthcare practitioners are satisfied with ADCs and scrutinize some influencing factors that could affect this satisfaction.

Material: A cross-sectional survey study was designed and distributed online to healthcare providers in Al-hasa hospitals.

Results: A total of 166 participants. Regarding the frequency and pattern of ADC use, around 79.5% used ADC and 85.4% were informed about using ADC on a daily basis. As for the level of satisfaction with ADC, an exact 81.9% gave a high rate for overall satisfaction, 81.3% were highly satisfied with the system's accuracy, and 74.7% were highly satisfied with the time it takes to complete the task. Regarding usability of the system, 69.8% thought it was easy whereas 36.8% agreed that the time required for reloading medication is longer than before ADC. Furthermore, 79.5% agreed that ADC allowed them to accomplish their job safely, and 67.4% agreed that it improved their productivity. Regarding challenges, 74.7% agreed that all drawer types assure safe access and removal of medications, and 18.7% agreed that there is a significant potential for loss of data.

Conclusion: This study investigated healthcare staff's perceptions and satisfaction with ADCs in Al-hasa hospitals. The healthcare participants were mostly highly satisfied with the use of the ADCs which translated into better patient care and improved patient safety as well as higher productivity.

Keywords: Automated dispensing cabinets; healthcare practitioners; patient safety; satisfaction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overall satisfaction level about automated dispensing cabinet among the healthcare participants.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Effect of automated dispensing cabinet on work among the healthcare participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jeffrey E, Dalby M, Walsh Á, et al. Automated dispensing cabinets and their impact on the rate of omitted and delayed doses: a systematic review. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm 2024; 14: 100451. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bluml BM. Definition of medication therapy management: development of professionwide consensus. J Am Pharm Assoc 2005; 45: 566–572. - PubMed
    1. Panagioti M, Hodkinson A, Planner C, et al. Global burden of preventable medication-related harm in health care: a systematic review. World Health Organization. 2024.
    1. Haerdtlein A, Debold E, Rottenkolber M, et al. Which adverse events and which drugs are implicated in drug-related hospital admissions? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Med 2023; 12: 1320. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ersulo TA, Yizengaw MA, Tesfaye BT. Incidence of adverse drug events in patients hospitalized in the medical wards of a teaching referral hospital in Ethiopia: a prospective observational study. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol 2022; 23: 30. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources