Objective: To assess economical impact after introduction of a bar coding pharmacy stock replenishment system in a prehospital emergency medical unit.
Study design: Observational before and after study.
Methods: A computer system using specific software and bare-code technology was introduced in the pre hospital emergency medical unit (Smur). Overall activity and costs related to pharmacy were recorded annually during two periods: the first 2 years period before computer system introduction and the second one during the 4 years following this system installation.
Results: The overall clinical activity increased by 10% between the two periods whereas pharmacy related costs continuously decreased after the start of pharmacy management computer system use. Pharmacy stock management was easier after introduction of the new stock replenishment system. The mean pharmacy related cost of one patient management was 13 Euros before and 9 Euros after the introduction of the system. The overall cost savings during the studied period was calculated to reach 134,000 Euros.
Conclusion: The introduction of a specific pharmacy management computer system allowed to do important costs savings in a prehospital emergency medical unit.