The launch of the service was preceded by a six-month pilot phase carried out in Helsinki’s home care services. In the pilot, the device was tested with 15 home care clients, some of whom were first-time users of a medication dispensing robot. During the pilot period, the clients received their medication doses in medicine cups from the dispensing robot, and some of the clients were also provided with support for taking their medication via a video connection.
The results of the pilot were encouraging. During the first three months, more than 4,800 doses of medicine were dispensed by the medication dispensing robots, and around 96% of the doses were delivered without any alerts of the medication not being taken.
A new feature of the service is the option to release any untaken medicines for re-dispensing remotely. This feature was also tested during the pilot period.
“The results show that the technology tested can simultaneously improve medication safety, support clients in living safely and independently at home, and free up home care professionals’ time for more demanding client interactions,” comments Service Manager Anne-Maria Siitonen from Palvelukeskus Helsinki.
As with other home care services, the need for and suitability of the new automatic medicine dispenser service is always assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“The new medication dispensing robot can make everyday life easier, particularly for clients who find it difficult to open single-dose sachets due to issues such as shaking hands. Furthermore, the device can be used to dispense medicines that cannot be provided in conventional single-dose sachets,” explains Home Care Manager Päivi Kujala from the Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services Division.
In a survey conducted after the pilot period, the device received largely positive feedback from both the clients (N=7 clients) and the care staff (N=20 home care nurses, N=8 remote care nurses), with its ease of use receiving particular praise.
The clients gave the medication dispensing robot an average rating of 8.6 on a scale of 1 to 10, and the majority of the respondents would be happy to continue using the device going forward. The nurses also rated the device’s usability as good (average rating 8.5).
In Helsinki, medication dispensing robots have been used to support home care services since 2019. Around 1,200 clients are using a medication dispensing robot, with these robots dispensing over one million doses of medicine each year. The automatic medicine dispenser service is one of the services provided at home that Palvelukeskus Helsinki provides for Helsinki’s home care services. The medication dispensing robots are supplied to Palvelukeskus Helsinki by Evondos and Axitare.