ATM-like kiosks to fill prescriptions in Ont. hospitals, remote areas

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Another " advantage " of socialized medicine.

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http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100128/health/health_pill_dispensing_machine

ATM-like kiosks to fill prescriptions in Ont. hospitals, remote areas

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Thu Jan 28, 8:08 PM

By Ciara Byrne, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Large green and white kiosks that resemble bank machines but instead

take prescriptions and dispense medicine 24 hours a day are coming to hospitals

and remote communities in Ontario.

While supporters of the so-called " pharmacy in a box " call it the future of the

profession, the profession itself says it could never fully replace the

pharmacist-patient relationship.

The ATM-like kiosk, which dispenses pills like a vending machine, has a video

screen linked to a real pharmacist who can talk to the patient and has full

control of the medication being dispensed.

" We see this concept, this idea of two-way video conferencing to a pharmacist,

as the way of the future in health care, " said Tom Closson, president of the

Ontario Hospital Association.

The kiosk is the beginning of a virtual approach to the delivery of health

services in Canada, Closson added.

Four of the machines have already landed in Toronto-area hospitals, the

association said. Eight more kiosks will be added to hospitals and remote areas

across the province in the coming months.

With a prescription, a patient can pick up a phone attached to the machine and

reach a pharmacist through video conference 24 hours a day.

A pilot project at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto has dispensed hundreds of

prescriptions without a single error since last March, the association said.

Closson said the machines are highly efficient and convenient for consumers, but

added the greatest advantage is that they make better use of pharmacists.

Pharmacists working in traditional institutions often find themselves bogged

down by jobs that could be done by technicians, said Closson. He cites pill

counting as one chore that pulls pharmacists away from their counselling role.

Pharmacists are cautiously curious about the new machines.

Dennis Darby, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists' Association, said the kiosks were

another tool for pharmacists and understands that there is a place for remote

dispensing.

However, he said the machine could never replace the face-to-face relationship

between a health care provider and a patient.

" They should see the same pharmacist, we hope, because typically they're on a

number of medications and a kiosk like this won't know whether you're on a

number of medications, " Darby said as he outlined some of the concerns for those

on several medications, especially seniors.

Pharmacists are also trained to look for forged prescriptions, and Darby said

with a scanned copy it could be harder to detect.

The kiosks are made by the Oakville-based company, PharmaTrust.

The successful introduction of the self-serve pharmacy was contingent upon

legislation introduced by Ontario's health minister which passed last December.

The kiosks will only be widely available once regulations, which the Ontario

College of Pharmacists is working on, are in place.

The machines will mostly be located in hospital emergency rooms and will be

valuable to a customer unable to access a 24-hour pharmacy, or too ill to make

the trip.

Like many ATM machines, which allow a customer to select a language preference,

the patient will be able to request a pharmacist who speaks a particular

language.

" The second a Japanese-speaking pharmacist logs in, the network of all machines

speaks Japanese, " said Suma, chief operating officer and co-founder of

PharmaTrust.

People living in remote areas can now access a health care professional within

seconds, Suma added.

" There are towns in Ontario where the pharmacy is an hour away, " he said.

The company is installing a system near Georgian Bay on an isolated First

Nations reserve that does not have a pharmacy or a doctor's office.

" This isn't about replacing 100 per cent. Your TV didn't replace your radio, "

Suma said, drawing an analogy in order to stress the point that machines won't

replace full pharmacy visits.

Still, Closson added: " If I look way out to the future, I think you're going to

see more and more of this. "

The company said the machine is safe to use, because a pharmacist is able to

control it as it fills the prescription.

The heavy machines, made of steel, are also rigged with alarms in case anyone

attempts to break in, said Suma.

Narcotics would be available in the machines located in hospitals, but not the

kiosks inside community health centres.

Darby said he wouldn't want to see the machines dispense narcotics or controlled

substances.

" I think the future (of pharmacy) will be more pharmacists providing more care

directly to patients, " he said.

" I think technology like this has a role. Where will it be in the future? We

don't know that yet. "