6 Reasons to automate your pharmacy
The pharmacist/pharmacy role is forever changing and evolving. There are more expectations being set on pharmacists as the healthcare system changes in the UK. Many new tasks are being asked and it can seem a real challenge to complete them all. Here are 6 of the reasons why you should be considering automation in your pharmacy.
- Increase workflow efficiency
Investing in automation at your pharmacy can help reduce the daily labour intense processes required for your pharmacy to operate.
With automation, you can free up your time or your pharmacists’ time, to provide clinical services, such as immunisations or diabetes counseling. It can also give you more time to complete other tasks and allow you to plan your pharmacy growth.
- Improved interactions
Reallocating your time and your staff’s time can also allow you to better focus on your patients, a quality that makes your independent community pharmacy stand out from others. You’ll have more time to help patients who have questions, and provide additional services.
- Minimise dispensing errors
Humans make errors; robots make next to none. Every once in awhile you may give one too many pills. Human dispensing errors are an opportunity for disaster.
Automation can ensure a higher success rate of correctly filled prescriptions, and it also fills prescriptions at a faster rate than by manual process. This saves time and can save you by minimising errors.
- Reduced employee stress
Automation can give your pharmacy a more efficient workflow, which can lead to less employee stress ( calmer environment ). Your pharmacists and techs may find that they feel caught up instead of constantly behind. And, if your prescription volume increases, you can utilise the he automation process more often, instead of increasing employees’ workloads.
- Invest in innovations
Utilising the latest advancements in technology can keep your independent pharmacy competitive. Automation isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. There are all types of automation solutions to fit every size and type of pharmacy—from software automation to various packing, dispensing and collection robots. If you’re not investing in the types of technologies that can move your business forward, then you may get left behind.
- Boosting adherence
If you add a robot or automatic dispensing system to your pharmacy, you have many different packaging options to help improve patients’ medication adherence, such as pouch packaging or blister tray filling robots.