Tracking emergency drug boxes – in terms of paperwork usage and stock expiry dates – can be very time consuming.
EmBox has been developed by Rx-info to save time and cut administration, while also helping improve best practice. It tracks, and audits, emergency drug boxes, helping to ensuring they are properly stocked with in-date products.
It’s web-based and responsive, designed to work with box-specific QR codes for ease-of-use around the hospital on tablet computers.
Features of EmBox include:
- Box location mapping
- A three-month warning window on box expiry
- Product expiry date tracking
- Various user levels to allow for specific users to set up boxes, check boxes, issue boxes and define the contents of boxes
- Multiple types of emergency box e.g. cardiac arrest, paediatric arrest and anaphylaxis can be set up within the system
- Full audit of transactions
- Statistics of usage identifying high turnover and high expiry items to improve stock management
- Batch tracing in the event of product recall
EmBox runs on multiple devices within the NHS N3 environment and can be viewed by any authorised user with access to your secure N3 network wherever they are.
CASE STUDY
Pre-empting emergency drug box issues at Yeovil District Hospital
Tracking the stock in emergency drug boxes can be a complex and time intensive task for staff, but not for Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset who have implemented a digital system to effectively manage stock across its 200 boxes, which are located in the hospital, as well as healthcare units across Somerset and Dorset.
The hospital moved from a paper-based system, to RX-info’s EmBox solution to monitor its emergency drug boxes across internal and external sites. “EmBox allows us to quickly see data and pre-empt stock control issues without going through a pile of paper,” said George Dampier, Pharmacy IM&T Systems Manager at Yeovil District Hospital.
“The system tracks all the data, so we can keep an eye on expiry dates, ensuring stock management and if a product is recalled, we can quickly identify where that box is. This means we can ensure a box is not without all the necessary drugs and we can stay on top of all the boxes.”
EmBox creates efficiencies and improves the safety of hospitals’ drug tracking, reducing the time involved in monitoring and locating stock across extensive hospital sites. This ensures that emergency drug boxes are properly stocked with in-date products.
“I think the whole EmBox system is a benefit,” commented George. “The data it provides is essential for us to do our jobs quickly and pre-empt stock management, so no issues arise.”
EmBox is a web-based product that is designed to be intuitive and portable for users. It is compatible with tablet computers and can be used across multiple devices within the NHS N3 environment. “EmBox is very easy to use. People can be trained on the system very quickly, it is very self-explanatory,” added George.
Yeovil District Hospital has significantly enhanced the speed and efficiency of stock management of its 200 emergency drug boxes through the introduction of RX-info’s EmBox solution.