The benefits of pharmacy automation

Increasing unsustainable workload, staff shortages, and supply chain issues are all making it difficult to be a pharmacist.

Pharmacy automation can help reduce these issues by increasing productivity, finding revenue opportunities, and giving you peace of mind that you haven’t made an error that could impact patients.

 

What is automation in pharmacy?

Automation in pharmacy is when you use technology to speed up repetitive and labour-intensive processes.

This could help with dispensing, prescription collection, or several other types activities within your pharmacy.

 

What are the trends in pharmacy automation?

The pharmacy automation device market in the UK is growing. And it’s no surprise why.

The reduced cases of medication errors from automation along with an aging population, staff shortages, and increasingly unsustainable workloads, have all led to this growth.

 

Types of pharmacy automation devices

There are a wide range of pharmacy automation machines which can help with various tasks in your pharmacy including:

 

Storage and dispensing

Box dispensing robots, prescription collection machines, and pharmacy vending machines, are all examples of storage and dispensing robots for pharmacies.

 

 

Packaging and labelling

Pouch packing or blister packing machines can be used to personalise medication.

 

Data management

Pharmacy management systems such as Digicare, which digitise medication management, can help reduce paperwork, improve patient safety, and enhance efficiency.

These are just some of the pharmacy automation products available that can enhance efficiency in pharmacies.

 

Benefits of pharmacy automation

Pharmacy automation is an investment, one you need to ensure your pharmacy benefits from. However, there can be many advantages for you and your pharmacy.

 

Reduction in medical waste

Sustainability is an increasingly important issue for all businesses, including pharmacies. Reducing medical waste is another reason why the pharmacy automation devices market has seen growth in recent years.

From expired medication to unused or contaminated pharmaceuticals, automating dispensing can minimise waste.

By giving access to medications outside of pharmacy hours, it can help to reduce these issues. Pharmacy automation can also help prevent damage to fragile packaging.

 

Increase number of dispensed products

Using pharmacy automation can help to reduce prescription filling time by 40 seconds per prescription, according to a recent study.

How much time could you save by using a pharmacy dispensing machine? This could give you time to speak to your patients and it reduces human errors.

The third most common medication error is through dispensing, which pharmacy automation can help to reduce.

 

Inventory management

How long does it require you to take inventory in your pharmacy?

The time for a conventional pharmacy is about 38.5 hours every year. With a robotic dispensing machine, the average time was only 15.3 hours; a saving of 24.8 hours a year.

While spread over a year this may not seem like much, but any time that you can spend focusing on patients or getting a well-deserved break is a better use of your time.

Using pharmacy automation to keep track of your inventory also means less chance of overstocking which can save you money.

Data reporting

Data is increasingly important to making better decisions for patients to personalise their care.

Pharmacy automation can store and analyse data that can predict medication demand, automate inventory, and enhance health outcomes for your patients. This can also help to increase job satisfaction as it can uncover revenue opportunities and streamline processes.

 

Improves medication safety

Automated dispensing systems can reduce medication errors related to picking, preparation, and the administration of drugs. One study showed up to 37% reduction in medicine-related reportable occurrences.

While it did not reduce errors causing harm, it showed a significant impact in errors causing no harm. And with an estimated 237 million medication errors a year in England alone, this could significantly reduce this figure.

 

 

Speeds up process for staff

There’s an issue with staff shortages amongst pharmacies in the UK and Ireland with three-quarters of pharmacy owners reporting difficulty in hiring permanent staff.

Pharmacy automation can reduce the manpower requirements needed as well as increasing productivity by 4 items person/hour.

 

Reduces patient waiting time

Patient waiting time and prescription filling decreased by 17-20 seconds (from an average of 10-49 seconds) in one study.

This means pharmacists can have more conversations with patients which in turn can help reduce medication errors.

 

 

Reduce staff work stress

Implementing robotics in pharmacy was also found to reduce the perception of work stress.

With 70% of community pharmacists stating they were stressed, there is a clear need for automation to help with the unsustainable workload faced by pharmacists.

 

Reduced costs

Costs can be reduced in many ways when you invest in pharmacy automation. The estimated annual cost saving from total expired medications was around $750,000 (a 57% reduction), in a recent study.

That is just one way of reducing costs but preventing overstocking and the increase in dispensed products can all create less costs and more profits.

 

Increased efficiency

The implementation of automated dispensing cabinets increased productivity by more than 40%, according to 67% of pharmacists in a recent study.

 

 

What is the disadvantage of automation in pharmacy?

The introduction of any technology to an industry can create fear and there are possible challenges to implementing automation in pharmacy.

 

Cost

There is an initial investment needed to purchase pharmacy automation machines.

Other costs include the maintenance and operation of the machine.

However, some pharmacy automation companies rent their equipment to enable you to use the latest technology for a fraction of the price of purchasing it.

 

Accountability

While pharmacy automation equipment can do a lot of tasks for us, humans are still responsible for the accountability of tasks.

While you will save time on processes, you need to oversee the maintenance of pharmacy machines and ensure they are working as they should be.

When automation is introduced, it can be easy to rely on it and become complacent. Processes should be in place so that this does not happen.

 

Staff training

Any new system in the workplace means taking time to understand it. All staff should be trained on how to use any pharmacy automation devices. You should check with your supplier of your pharmacy automation machine to ensure they provide training.

Edia Pharmacy Automation provides training to all staff when you buy a pharmacy automation machine from them and ensures all staff members are confident using it.

 

Job displacement

Staff may show resistance to pharmacy automation because they are concerned about losing their job.

Pharmacy automation, like any system, enhances your job role. It helps to automate repetitive or duplicated tasks to ensure staff can get on with tasks that can’t be automated.

Pharmacy automation can also increase jobs. With automation, there is more opportunity to grow the business which leads to needing more staff.

 

Things to consider before investing in pharmacy automation

 

There are many benefits of investing in pharmacy automation, but you should ensure it suits your specific needs.

Things to consider include:

1. The number of staff you have
2. Your customer frequency
3. The number of prescriptions you dispense.

Pharmacy automation is an increasingly expanding market with many types of products able to support pharmacists and improve patient care.

While there are many benefits to investing in automation, considerations should be made as to whether it’s right for your pharmacy.

 

If you’d like to know more about how pharmacy automation could benefit your business, contact our team today.