LGH high on new drug dispenser

The Lakeshore General Hospital inaugurated its new drug distribution system last week thanks to a $1.5 million booster shot from the Trottier Family Foundation.

Lorne Trottier, a local tycoon and philanthropist who founded Dorval-based Matrox, provided the donation so the Pointe Claire hospital could purchase a semi-automated medication distribution system.

"This will make sure we remain a top-notch institution," said LGH board member Georges Nydam. "These automated drug dispensers will reduce waste and error."

The new machine packages medication for patients individually and allows for surplus tablets to be reused. The new process is expected to save about $150,000 per year since doses, including different pills, can be prescribed on a daily basis.

Thuy-Uyen Dao, the LGH's assistant chief pharmacist, said the new system offers improved security and safety features.

"It was all manual before," she said of the medication dispensed to patients at the hospital. "The new system counts pills and each package is individually wrapped."

Under the old system, prescriptions were sometimes filled for four to six days but could not be reused if the patient left early or if the pills were no longer needed, Dao added. The new system makes it easier for nursing staff to verity prescriptions, which is a bonus since there are about 700 oral medications in stock at the hospital, Dao said.

Once the plan is fully realized, individual doses will be packed by the new machine in the third-floor pharmacy department but they will be stored on different floors for improved efficiency, she added.

The LGH started using the new system in July but it hasn't reached its full potential yet as the pharmaceutical department is still undergoing reorganization. The new technology is part of a major project aimed at redesigning the department in 2009.