Breaking ‘Smart’ New Ground: A preliminary assessment of the uptake and use of Smart Technologies in NHS Hospital Pharmacies (UK).

Abstract

Medicines management is only one part of NHS (UK) procurement and management, but essentially a very expensive part. According to the Commercial Medicines Unit (Department of Health, 2013), NHS hospitals in England currently spend around £3.6 billion annually on pharmaceuticals, having risen from £2.2. billion in 2005. The NHS continuously strives to promote excellence in what it does and justify how it does it. In undertaking this preliminary analysis 45 pharmacy staff members contributed to an online survey. The results presented a broad mix of views on how smart technology (e.g. iPhone, iPad) could be used and if it should be used at all in this setting. The outcome of this small scale study demonstrates the lack of knowledge as to if and how such technologies could be used in hospital pharmacy and therefore present grounds for testing out the broader application of smart technology via academic and practitioner consultations.