Automation of dose banded chemotherapy preparation : satisfaction survey on two automats

In order to prevent the onset of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), two ICU®, DIANA® and MEDOC® automaton were tested for the preparation of dose banded chemotherapy. The objective is to evaluate user satisfaction and to collect their perception on the painfulness of work, with or without automaton, in order to choose the most suitable.

Seven pharmacy technicians responded to two identical surveys, one for DIANA® and the other one for MEDOC®. The first part evaluated the ease and speed of placement, preparation and storage of the automaton (rating from 0 to 10). It also appreciated the advantages and disadvantages of the device in terms of saving time, comfort, error rate, contamination risk and serial work. The second part asked the users about their perception of the difficulty of working with or without an automaton via 12 criterias (rating from 0 to 10). A gap of 2 points was considered significant.

DIANA®’s installation, preparation and storage are evaluated easier and faster than MEDOC® (respectively 7.7 vs 3.1, 7,4 vs 4,5 et 7,1 vs 3,7). 57% of users declare a time saving with DIANA® compare to manual work (Vs 14% with MEDOC®), 86% comfort gain (vs. 43%) and 100% lower risk of error (vs 14 %). The risks of chemical and microbiological contamination are estimated identical with or without automation, whatever the automaton. The use of DIANA® appears to reduce the overall labor burden, the gestures requiring considerable effort and the fatigue after a campaign, compared to any automaton (respectively 4.6 vs 7.3, 4.6 vs 8; 5.6 vs 7). Conversely, there are few significant differences in the perception of working with MEDOC®.

The DIANA® automaton seems to be the most suitable for our production of doses banded chemotherapies and the most able to decrease the MSD.