Background information

Over the years ZiuZ has made many significant improvements to the vision system and algorithm to optimize the automatic detection and matching performance. ZiuZ is still continuously working on improvements in this area, however, the room for major improvements to the vision system is getting smaller day by day.

Together with a group of leading pharmacists, the remaining process risks have been analyzed. One of the conclusions is, that the main remaining risks is the human factor. Root causes vary. Examples are the organization of the workspace, fatigue with repetitive tasks, distraction, and sometimes simply the fact that ‘humans make undeliberate mistakes’.

How could software and tooling help the user avoid making mistakes?

ZiuZ has started a continuous improvement program to facilitate the reduction of the risk for human errors throughout the inspection process. Some of them will result in advice and others lead to new software features that help to prevent errors.

The first results are already available today. A good example of what has been achieved is last year’s launch of the Vial scan feature (stock bottle scan) for Photon. If a medication needs to be added to a pouch during the repair process, the user needs to scan the barcode ID of the stock bottle. This has led to a significant reduction of number erroneously repaired pouches at the Corrector station, and thus immediately helped to improve patient safety.

More help is on the way

In Photon release 1.13.x new features will be introduced that will assist the user to better view the pouches and can alert the user for a potentially dangerous situation via a request for ‘double confirmation’.

More ideas are appreciated

The development will not stop here. Your input, feedback, and data are required to make the new features a success. Moreover, since we are working on even more new ideas, your expert visions are always highly appreciated. Therefore, feel free to contact us.