2SPD-011 Comparative analysis of expiry management of medications after the implementation of automated drug dispensing systems

<h3>Background and Importance</h3> The pharmacy department (PD) has the responsibility to manage the distribution and control of medicine cabinets in clinical units. All this process is laborious to perform manually, resulting in oversized stocks and an economic loss due to expired medications. <h3>Aim and Objectives</h3> To evaluate the new expiry management (EM) of medications after the implementation of automated drug dispensing systems (ADDS) compared to the previous one. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> Descriptive retrospective study of the EM of medications stored at the Emergency Department (ED) at a secondary hospital. The ADDS were implemented in February 2023 and two periods were defined: February 2022–February 2023 EM was performed manually; February 2023–February 2024, it was performed in an assisted way. Manual EM consisted in reviewing all ED stocks every 6 months, hiring an extra technician. Medication was stored following the FIFO (First In, First Out) system. All medications which expire ≤6 months were returned to the PD to ensure immediate consumption. In the assisted circuit, the EM was performed daily during replenishment of the ADDS, and monthly lists were generated to physically check them. At the end of the month, the expired drugs were taken from the ADDS. Data were obtained from internal records for manual EM and through the ADDS software for assisted EM. The results were analysed using Excel. <h3>Results</h3> In the first period of the study, EM was performed in the three traditional medicine cabinets at the ED (500 references), and 173 (34.6%) different references expired, corresponding to 1855 units. In the second period, EM was carried out in the seven ADDS (605 references), of which 818 units expired, of 84 (13.9%) different references. Implementing the new EM avoided hiring a reinforcement. This resulted in a saving of €535.85/year in personnel costs. <h3>Conclusion and Relevance</h3> There was an increase in the number of references stored with the ADDS, improving quick access to medication. The new EM managed to reduce wastage, becoming a system more sustainable and safe. The technician responsible of the EM is also in charge of ADDS daily replenishment, achieving a greater specialisation of the personnel and better management of stocks. <h3>References and/or Acknowledgements</h3> <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> No conflict of interest