- Medication Management (ADU)
The right medication.The right patient. The right dose.
For every medication, every dose and every patient, accuracy matters.
Automated Dispensing Units (ADUs) help ensure medications reach the right patient at the right time, in the right dose. They are a critical safeguard that supports patient safety, reduces medication errors and helps care teams deliver timely, accurate care across WRHN.
Technology that supports safer, more timely care.
Every medication accessed through an ADU is part of a patient's care journey. Modernising WRHN's ADU fleet can make a difference in three critical ways — helping care teams access medications quickly, strengthening safety at every step, and supporting the scale of care delivered across our hospitals.
Access
Getting medications to patients faster
Upgraded ADUs allow medications to be accessed almost instantly once an order is placed, helping care teams get patients the treatment they need without unnecessary delay.
Safety
Making every dose safer
Modern ADUs reduce the cognitive burden on staff and integrate with electronic order entry and bedside barcode scanning. Together, these safeguards help reduce the risk of medication errors and support safer care.
Volume
Technology used thousands of times a day
Across WRHN's three hospital sites, medications are accessed more than 14,000 times every day.
This isn't occasional-use technology. ADUs support medication delivery thousands of times, every single day, making reliable, modern equipment essential to the way care is delivered across the network.
- Did you know?
WRHN's pharmacy program is strengthened through its partnership with the local School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo through the Pharmacy Residency Program.
The collaboration supports innovation, education and the development of future pharmacy professionals, while reinforcing best practices in medication safety and clinical care.
Pharmacists work alongside clinical teams to ensure medications are reviewed, prepared and delivered safely.
Time where it matters most
The new system unlocks future capabilities to reduce manual programming time and increase time available for direct patient care. By making medications faster and easier to access on every patient care floor, upgraded ADUs reduce unnecessary steps in workflows.
Technology can't replace compassionate care — but it can help give care teams more time to provide it.
Watch Inside WRHN | Care in Focus Pharmacy
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the medication management process with Anthony Amadio, Director, Pharmacy Services at WRHN.
We have high volumes of patients, they're acutely ill, and it's a fast-paced environment...automating this process really allows for a focus on patient safety, and gives clinicians the time and space to be at the bedside providing patient care.
Anthony Amadio
Director, Pharmacy Services, WRHN
Your support can help make every dose safer
The estimated investment to replace WRHN's full ADU fleet is approximately $10.6 million.
Your support can help WRHN provide care teams with modern medication management technology that supports safety, reliability and timely access to medications.
For patients, that means another layer of protection throughout their healthcare journey.
