ry. In 2003, the University of Mary

ry. In 2003, the University of Maryland
Medical Center (UMMC) began a
pilot program to determine the logistic
capability and functional utility of robotic
technology in the delivery of medications
from satellite pharmacies to patient care
units. Three satellite pharmacies currently
used the robotic system. Five data sources
(electronic robot activation records, logs,
interviews, surveys, and observations) were
used to assess five key aspects of robotic delivery:
robot use, reliability, timeliness, cost
minimization, and acceptance. A 19-item
survey using a 7-point Likert-type scale
was developed to determine if pharmacy
delivery robots changed nurses’ perception
of pharmacy service. The components
measured included general satisfaction, reliability,
timeliness, stat orders, services, interaction
with pharmacy, and status tracking.
A total of 23 preimplementation, 96 postimplementation,
and 30 two-year follow-up
surveys were completed. After impleMarc
R. Summerfield, M.S., is Director of Pharmacy, University of
Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), Baltimore, and Adjunct Professor,
School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore. F. Jacob
Seagull, Ph.D., is Director of Research in Education, Department
of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Maryland. Neelesh
Vaidya, Pharm.D., is Assistant Professor, Department of Medical
Education, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. Yan
Xiao, Ph.D., is Patient Safety Research Director, Baylor Health Care
System, Dallas, TX.
Address correspondence to Mr. Summerfield at the Pharmacy,
University of Maryland Medical Center, 20 South Greene Street, Baltimore,
MD 21201 (msummerfield@umm.edu).
The assistance of Danny Ho, B.S., M.S., Tim Schnupp, B.S.,
Nabilia Rahman, B.A., Peter Hu, M.S., and the health care professionals
who participated in the interviews and observation studies
is acknowledged.
Supported by a grant from Aethon, Inc.
The authors have declared no potential conflicts of interest.
Copyright © 2011, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists,
Inc. All rights reserved. 1079-2082/11/0101-0077$06.00.
DOI 10.2146/ajhp100012
mentation of the robotic delivery system,
time from fax to label, order preparation
time, and idle time for medications to be
delivered decreased, while nurses’ general
satisfaction with the pharmacy and opinion
of the reliability of pharmacy delivery significantly
increased. Robotic delivery did not
influence the perceived quality of delivery
service or the timeliness of orders or stat
orders. Robot reliability was a major issue
for the technician but not for pharmacists,
who did not have as much interaction with
the devices.
Conclusion. By