Digital eyes to guide chemotherapy preparation

From the Quimper Hospital Center to the Toulouse Oncopole, around one hundred hospitals and cancer centers will be equipped by the end of 2022 with Drugcam, a digital assistance module for chemotherapy preparation.

Developed in La Rochelle through a partnership with the University, these digital eyes were created by the company Eurekam. Thanks to a technology combining digital tools and artificial intelligence, pharmacy technicians and pharmacists now have real-time control over their preparations. Video recording helps prevent errors, allows for review of the manufacturing process in case of doubt, and enables a more confident release of the medication by the pharmacist.

For Eurekam co-founder Benoît Le Franc, who is also a hospital pharmacist at the La Rochelle Hospital, “Drugcam is based on the well-known ‘three Bs’: the right molecule, the right volume, and the right patient.” Thanks to image analysis, the software compares the product being prepared with the initial prescription to detect any discrepancies in volume or labeling, and stops the technician if a discrepancy is found.

COMPUTER VISION THAT EMBODYES HUMAN REASONING TO STREAMLINE THE PRODUCTION CHAIN

After being validated by the pharmacist, the prescription is displayed in DrugCam to show the technician all the necessary materials for preparation. Production begins as soon as the technician shows the camera the label corresponding to the prescription. As the preparation progresses, the vials are presented so the software can verify their identity and the volume added. When the mixture is complete, the technician adds a final label with the patient’s information and presents it to the camera to verify its accuracy.

Finally, the images of the preparation are compressed and sent to a local web server, connected to the DrugCamControl release tool that the pharmacist uses to determine if the product is ready for release. DrugCam is interoperable with the department’s business software and does not record the data produced outside the hospital, thus complying with GDPR regulations.

“WE GO HOME WITH PEACE OF MIND, IT GIVES US CONFIDENCE”

Beyond complying with best practices in terms of quality and safety of care, this tool allows teams to adapt to new and complex operating procedures. According to Sandra Ruitort, Head of the Pharmaceutical Technology Department at the Pharmacy Division of the University Hospital of Nice, “some allergy tests require dilutions to the thousandth or even ten-thousandth of the usual doses,” and this assistance helps to secure the manufacturing process. Real-time preparation monitoring also ensures rapid medication release, which is crucial in this facility where four-fifths of the activity involves the day hospital. Deployed when the Pharmacy Technology Unit opened in 2019, this tool has allowed for a complete redesign of the preparation process, improving efficiency while increasing the peace of mind of healthcare professionals. For Élodie Ferloni, a pharmacy technician at the University Hospital, “We gain peace of mind compared to the double-checking process.” Initially intended to secure production, this video assistance system has given us the opportunity to develop a new interactive teaching approach for continuing education for pharmacy technicians, adds Julien Duquesne, a pharmacist at the University Hospital of Nice.

At the Quimper Hospital Center, Nicolas Cassou, the pharmacist in charge of oncology and hematology, uses the videos produced by the software “as an educational tool for new pharmacy technicians during their training.” While the software assists the teams, it does not replace them, and ongoing training remains essential. From the moment the first DrugCam workstation was installed, fears that the tool might be misused to monitor professionals were quickly replaced by enthusiasm. As a result, since 2018, two new workstations have been added to this unit, which produces approximately 29,000 injectable preparations annually.

Ultimately, the company aims to offer this device in a more miniaturized format to ensure the safe preparation of injectables across all departments of healthcare facilities. Currently, the teams are continuously working to improve the algorithms to offer more sophisticated artificial intelligence. Already present in Belgium and Spain, Eurekam also intends to strengthen its international presence.

Lucie Gauthiot

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