MedTech Outlook Magazine: Specials Magazine

Automated pharmaceutical technology innovations for medication management are well documented and commonly used nowadays to reduce medications errors, improve efficiency and quality of care. However, these innovations have led to new and unforeseen challenges. Various computerized processes are implemented at different points of the medication-use pathway, and these are divided into the following care points:- • Computerized prescription order entry systems (CPOE) • Hospital / Pharmacy information system (HIS) • Automated dispensing cabinets / machine (ADC) • Medication repackaging system (unit dose packaging) • Barcode medication administration (BCMA) • Computerized medication administration records (CMARs) - ‘Smart’ infusion pumps, with drug libraries information on common concentrations, dosing units and limits. Despite how pharmacy departments have worked with technology vendors and the information technology sector to improve the usability of systems, it is still not error-proof. In this article, I shall focus on medication management from the pharmacist’s perspective and will discuss the first four points above. Let’s begin with CPOE and HIS. When these two systems are directly interfaced, they should be capable of issuing medication safety alerts, supporting drug-drug and drug-disease interactions and providing a basis for clinical decision making. One of the first challenges lies in the prescribers’ adoption rate, especially for individuals who are not as computer literate, requiring extensive training to become familiar with HIS. Secondly, prompts that alert against drug interaction, allergy or overdose often lead to alert-fatigue and eventually become easy to ignore. One recent case involved one of the drugs known to induce Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) – Allopurinol. Proactive measures were taken since 2008 to perform mandatory Human leucocyte antigen-B (HLA-B)*5801 g

Founded in 2009, JEASHIA has built its ENT diagnostic device business around a full-chain manufacturing model. It independently develops and produces optical assemblies, medical structural parts and circuit control modules under one quality system, giving JEASHIA direct control over component fit, testing and batch traceability. “Our integrated manufacturing approach allows us to control quality from raw materials through final inspection while giving customers practical, customized devices for different clinical needs,” says Iris Zhang, sales director. This structure helps clients overcome multiple challenges associated with fragmented sourcing while enabling two key outcomes: superior product reliability and optimized total cost efficiency. Components from multiple vendors can arrive with inconsistent dimensions, uneven workmanship and mismatched interfaces, affecting illumination, image quality and product durability. The company’s in-house production standardizes testing across each stage while reducing cross-vendor logistics, repeated sample validation, third-party inspection and excess spare-parts inventory. Bulk raw-material purchasing and synchronized production shorten manufacturing cycles and limit losses caused by mismatched outsourced components. This model allows JEASHIA to manage reliability and total cost within the same production system rather than treating them as separate priorities..