Chinese Intelligence Prescription System improves prescription accuracy while decreasing labor and drug costs

Ting Yu Huang, Wei Te Huang, Yu Chuan Lin, Hao Hsiu Hung, Shi Chen Ou, Chin Wei Chang, Hung En Lin, Ting Yen Lin, Ching Wen Chang, Hui Chun Hung, Sheng Teng Huang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background and Aim: The traditional method of taking Chinese Medicine involves creating a decoction by cooking medicinal Chinese herbs. However, this method has become less popular, being replaced by the more convenient method of consuming concentrated Chinese herbal extracts, which creates challenges related to the complexity of stacking multiple formulas. Methods: We developed the Chinese Intelligence Prescription System (CIPS) to simplify the prescription process. In this study, we used data from our institutions pharmacy to calculate the number of reductions, average dispensing time, and resulting cost savings. Results: The mean number of prescriptions was reduced from 8.19 ± 3.65 to 7.37 ± 3.34 (p=2.46×10-8). The reduction in the number of prescriptions directly resulted in decreased dispensing time, reducing it from 1.79 ± 0.25 to 1.63 ± 0.66 min (p=1.88×10-14). The reduced dispensing time totaled 3.75 h per month per pharmacist, equivalent to an annual labor cost savings of $15,488 NTD per pharmacist. In addition, drug loss was reduced during the prescription process, with a mean savings of $4,517 NTD per year. The combined savings adds up to a not insignificant $20,005 NTD per year per pharmacist. When taking all TCM clinics/hospitals in Taiwan into account, the total annual savings would be $77 million NTD. Conclusion: CIPS assists clinicians and pharmacists to formulate precise prescriptions in a clinical setting to simplify the dispensing process while reducing medical resource waste and labor costs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number514
JournalBMC Health Services Research
Volume23
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

Keywords

  • Dispensing time
  • Drug cost
  • Labor cost
  • Precise prescription
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine

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