Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADCs) allow for decentralized medication distribution across hospitals, and allow for medication storage and dispensing close to the point of patient care. By electronically safeguarding and tracking medication inventory the pharmacy can maintain control and quality while allowing for expensive and life-saving products to be available with shorter turn-around-times. ADCs have been widely adopted within the US market; the vast majority of hospitals have implemented ADCs to improve the delivery of product to units outside the Central Pharmacy. Health care sytems also commonly integrate refrigerators in medication rooms and nursing floors with their Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADC) and Towers through the use of specialized integrated locks. This integration extends the value of the ADC to refrigerated medications and vaccines.
Choosing the appropriate refrigerator or freezer to integrate with the ADC is an important decision, as each cold storage unit may be used to store thousands of dollars of temperature sensitive product. There are two common Best Practices for choosing the right pharmacy refrigerator for your ADC:
- Use Medical-grade Cold storage to ensure you are properly and reliably storing your refrigerated product. Not all refrigerators are created equally, and medical-grade units are designed with certain features to ensure the quality of storage.
- Choose a Pharmacy Refrigerator supplier with proven experience working with the ADC system used in your facilty to ensure compatibility with integrated locks. Because of the variablity in refrigerator design across vendors, some units may not be readily compatible with standard ADC locks. Avoid delays to installation, frustration, and potential damage to the lock or refrigerator by making sure you select a brand with known compatibility with your ADC.
Read more about Best Practices for integrating refrigerators with Automated Dispensing Cabinets by downloading our full article.
