Omnicell, Inc. announced its Anywhere RN remote medication management application that provides nurses the option to remotely access an Omnicell automated dispensing cabinet from any hospital computer or workstation. Using an Omnicell automated medication management solution, the Anywhere RN application enables nurses to manage their medication administration workflow in a manner that is most efficient for them, giving them more time for direct patient care.
“We expect to realize many benefits from the ability to access our Omnicell automated dispensing cabinets remotely from computer terminals at the nursing station,” said Joseph Alessandrini, R.Ph., administrative director, Pharmaceutical Care and Drug Information Services, South Jersey Healthcare – Regional Medical Center, an early trial site for the technology. “Anywhere RN will unchain nurses from the cabinet and give them more time to review due medication orders prior to accessing medications. This flexible and adaptable platform will also improve productivity by giving our nurses control over their own workflow. Our staff is very excited about it.”
As the use of medication automated systems has increased, nurses are spending more time in transactions at medication cabinets. At times, they can feel rushed or pressured while other nurses queue up behind them waiting for access to the same medication cabinet. The Anywhere RN application offers the nurse the ability to complete many medication management functions remotely, at a time and location that is most convenient for the nurse. This includes the ability to remotely request medication issues and returns; document waste, and review the patient profile.
“As automated dispensing cabinets have become the cornerstone of many hospital medication distribution processes, new workflow challenges have arisen,” said Jennifer Cartright, senior product manager, Omnicell. “Anywhere RN helps address these challenges by providing nurses an intuitive workflow that saves them steps. This workflow also allows the nurse to avoid distractions during the medication administration process as recommended by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).”
In addition to the Anywhere RN application, the Omnicell 14.0 automated medication management solution will offer enhanced operational and clinical functions including system-wide post-case reconciliation for anesthesia and expanded dose reconciliation. To help increase patient safety, Omnicell 14.0 automated medication management solution meets or exceeds 100% of the ISMP recommendations.
The Anywhere RN application is being demonstrated June 17-19 at the ASHP 2009 Summer Meeting and Exhibition, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL