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Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center uses robot to reduce errors

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, January 7, 2005

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In order to reduce the potential for errors and improve patient safety, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will use a robot to prepare syringes and mix intravenous (IV) medications, according to The Enquirer.

The robot can fill 300 syringes per hour, each with a custom dose and bar-code label directing it to a particular patient. The new system will also free up pharmacists to spend more time working with doctors and patients, according to the article.

"This is a major step in our patient safety program," said Jack Horn, director of pharmacy.

Though Children's has a low number of errors among the 380,000 syringes the pharmacy prepares each year, its goal is to be 100% error free.

The robot, created by ForHealth Technologies Inc. in Daytona Beach, FL, is especially useful in a pediatric facility because doses need to be adjusted according to patients' weights, said Horn.

Children's Hospital is waiting to receive approval from the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy before the robot can begin preparing patient-specific medications. The state wants to ensure that pharmacy staff check a percentage of robot-mixed syringes before distributing them to patients, said Horn.

A $640,000 federal grant covered 90% of the robot's cost.

To read The Enquirer article, click here.

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