Patient safety : analysis of the impact of implementation of automated dispensing cabinets on drug return in an university hospital

Abstract

Patient safety and medication errors have received great attention and interest from health institutions. Drug return is a reverse logistics process that requires further analysis, because the delay or failure to return medications can create an accumulation of drugs in nursing units, favoring deviations and medication errors. The automated dispensing cabinets are a technological innovation that aims to reduce drug-related errors. The present study made an analysis of the amount of returned medications before and after the implantation of automated dispensing cabinets in a university hospital