Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Research and Innovations (new projects / technology / innovations / service models)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
HA Young Investigators Session (Projects to be presented by HA staff who had joined HA for 10 years or less)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Kwan HSW (1)*, Lam SYB(1), Cheung PYE(1), Chung KYE (2) , Cheung HWE (3), Lee SCB(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Chief Pharmacist’s Office, HAHO, (2) Pharmacy Department, HK Buddhist Hospital, KCC, (3) Information Technology and Health Informatics, HAHO * the author is currently under secondment to HAHO from KCC
Introduction :
Conventionally, the replenishment of ward stock medications (namely top-up) requires prior visual inspection and manual counting using barcode-assisted procedures by pharmacy staff. The entire process is labour intensive and mainly based on remaining stock levels but not actual consumption. With the corporate-wide implementation of In-patient Medication Order Entry (IPMOE) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in Hospital Authority (HA), in-patient medication management documentation is revolutionized. This includes electronic prescribing, administration and dispensing, as well as ward stock replenishment. As records are currently being generated to reflect the consumption of medications at patient, ward and hospital level, the Chief Pharmacist’s Office initiated a proof-of-concept study aiming to utilize the Big Data generated in formulating and predicting stock replenishment quantities. This paper introduces the concept of Smart Top-up, a data-driven approach aimed at modernizing the existing manual top-up process.
Objectives :
1. To formulate system requirements based on a prototype by adopting an Agile approach with active engagement of users. 2. To evaluate performance of algorithm prototype against operational need for subsequent development of a medication top-up system to reduce staff workload.
Methodology :
With the support by Information Technology & Health Informatics team, an in-house algorithm prototype has been built and deployed at selected HA hospitals for trial run. Replenishment quantities will be monitored through weekly inspection. The algorithm shall be tweaked in an Agile approach, in accordance with the calculation results and direct user feedback collected during this proof-of-concept exercise. The system requirement will be refined in an effort to lay down the overall design which best fits the operational needs in HA hospitals.
Result & Outcome :
The prototype has been piloted in Buddhist Hospital (BH) since September 2023. During this trial period, Smart Top-up has been used to generate the item list for ward stock replenishment gradually with satisfactory results. The calculation algorithm has been fine-tuned continuously. Up till now, Smart Top-up has been successfully implemented in one Palliative and one Medical ward. The implementation process, ranging from hospital communication and engagement to staff training, and from initial configuration to continuous review, has been documented for supporting the future implementation of Smart Top-up in HA. The concept of using Technology and Big Data to modernize existing manual top-up workflow is proven with positive outcome. The trial run will be extended to Ruttonjee Hospital (RH) and Tin Shui Wai Hospital (TSWH) in 1Q2024 to further verify the calculation algorithm with wider range of hospital needs.
