Baringo County! Is it a worthy proposal? Your take counts?

 

MEDICATION CONTROL SYSTEM: BARINGO COUNTY.

A. OBJECTIVES.

1. To create an efficient system for dispensing medication for purposes of Accountability.
2. To improve systems of Data collection, recording, and analysis.
3. To create space and time for future Telemedicine.

B. THE PROBLEM.

The future of rural health in Baringo relies on the proper ways of handling and dispensation of medications. Since treatment is key in determining the patient outcome:  having the right medication at the time it is needed is key. To meet the above-mentioned objectives, we have established that an independent unit is needed and this we will refer to as ‘The Pharmacy Integrated System (PIS)’. Arriving at this simple conclusion is based on the magnitude of the budget designated as ‘for buying medication’, which ranges from thousands to millions of shillings. The challenges that have been witnessed over time are related to the shortage of medication, corruption due to back door sell of drugs and lack of systems to establish checks and balances on the use of medication. A pharmacy integrated system is needed now, whether this be within the hospital or within the county offices it is necessary. Its duties are solely restricted to medication: procurement and dispensing of medication, monitoring the use of medication and teaching the public on the effects of using certain medication.

In most countries especially in the West, this overwhelming task has been delegated and it has been proven to be highly effective.  The nurses and doctors are limited to Diagnosis and treatment which is even overwhelming, the burden of worry about the availability of drugs should be passed to an independent body- The Pharmacy.

C. SOLUTION.

i. Pharmacy Integrated system.

PIS is a communication tool incorporated into the formal system of care, it acts as a ‘Medication’ warehouse to receive, to label, to store and to dispense medication. The storage aspect of the PIS is not new, however, its capabilities will be upgraded to independence and that it is able to track every medication dispense in the public hospital. It is also capable of providing real-time audit report and capable of foreshadowing shortages.

Diagram (a):

Other functions of the PIS

1. The Physician or Nurse can check availability of medications in the nearest hospital or clinic and transmits the order.
2. The patient can pick up the medication at a convenient location without incurring an extra cost. He can also order the same from the central supply and pick up at his convenient time.
3. The PIS can question orders that were written and are not dispense at any location
4. Expired medication can be recalled and disposed of appropriately.
5. Trends of illnesses can be rated based on how medicines are prescribed, and resources are allocated appropriately.
6. Since PIS is loaded and managed by a pharmacist, then they can match the prescriptions with the diagnosis hence they can monitor if the prescriptions merge with the diagnosis.

ii. Barcoding and Electronic Dispense.

This will be a new component in this system, it is also key to the success of the program. We foresee a future in which Baringo county will not only be purchasing medication that has readable barcodes but also be able to scan and record prescriptions in real-time.

Since the PIS is attached to all public clinics, this will be an easy way of predicting needs and attending to it in real-time.

iii. Pharmacist:

The whole program relies on Medication and the better person that understands this is a qualified Pharmacist. He is the brain that feeds the PIS with current trends of medication, ensures that proper guidelines are followed in dispense of addictive medication or antibiotics.

D. THE FUTURE.

The future of healthcare in remote areas is Telemedicine. This involves the doctors in one location having the ability to prescribe medication over the phone. With proper electronic dispense machines i.e. Pyxis having been strategically set, a patient can be able to get medication by herself using secure methods of dispensing. This works better with life-threatening medication, especially Insulin, antibiotics, and Nebulizers/

 

   E.CHALLENGES.

• A Costs: Effective launching of such a program is costly at the start and it requires the political will to overhaul the existent comfort zones and the long-established relationship. The system also requires IT experts and computers with scanning devices, this can take a sizable amount of the initiating costs.
• Sustainability: Technology changes with time hence proper measures and resources are required to keep the system’s current. Also, county affairs are termly and are political, hence its viability is reliant on acceptance and adoption by oncoming administration.
• Change: It is known that technology can lead to frustration at the workplace, older staff members may find it difficult to adjust and adapt to the new system.
• Lack of knowledge. For the system to be effective, the patient should have the basic knowledge of what to expect in the clinic/hospital.

 

By Kipkosgei Arap Yego.

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