After the European project partners visit to Medichem in Leeds this month the phrase on everyone’s lips was what next for Future Internet Social Technological Alignment Research (FISTAR)!
Ok, perhaps I should first provide you with some background…..
In 2013 Medichem received an innovation award from Europe to be part of the FISTAR project. Medichem want to tag 1000 pharmaceutical products such as Insulin pens and every day prescription medicines over a test period of 6 months. Using 2-d Barcoding it is hoped they can offer real time reverse supply chain modelling to prevent error and counterfeiting and create interfaces to additional third part devices.
But what does this actually mean for me? I hear you cry….
Essential by tagging a product with a 2D barcode it becomes uniquely identifiable. This means it can be tracked from its manufacture all the way to the end user storing information as it goes along. This way we know exactly where it has been, stopping counterfeit drugs entering the supply chain and protecting patients.
It also enables greater management of the medicine both by those storing it and the patients that receive it. The HSIC recorded in 2013 that £15 billion worth of medicines were dispensed. A 2010 report evaluation of the scale, causes and costs of waste medicines produced by York health economics consortium and school of pharmacy university of London estimated the national figure of pharmaceutical waste to be £300m. To put this in context the report highlights:
This sum represents approximately £1 in every £25 spent on primary care and community pharmaceutical and allied products use, and 0.3 per cent of total NHS outlays. It includes an estimated £90 million worth of unused prescription medicines that are retained in individuals’ homes at any one time, £110 million returned to community pharmacies over the course of a year, and £50 million worth of NHS supplied medicines that are disposed of unused by care homes.
However using 2-D barcodes with an inventory management system will enable us to record where individual products are, when they are going out of date and help predict the quantities needed to stop waste occurring. From a patient safety stand point there are also a number of advantages due to the item now being uniquely identifiable and the location known product recall becomes much easier.
Medichem will also integrate this with a PIL manager app available on the patients smart phone that will not only record which medicines they are taking but also send reminders to patients when to take the medicine, provide information on dosage, link to videos on how to use the medicines and also send notifications should a recall occur.It is hoped utilising this system will be able to cut waste dramatically by giving patients more information on how and when to use their medicine as well as enable NHS providers to better manage their stock.
To find out more about the project and further developments see the FISTAR website.