Pharmacy consulting would like to point out some areas to consider when thinking about buying and fitting a robot into your pharmacy.
- The specification of the robot should be robust enough to allow for expansion of the business.
- As many as possible of your stock lines should go into the robot , including your split packs.
- The size of the robot should be considered , however they can be built to fit your requirements.
- You can store your finished prescriptions back in the robot thus saving the hassle of searching for patients medication when they return to collect them.
- Do you want a hopper or would you like to place your order on the belt?
- Process flow, you may need to rethink the way you work in the pharmacy?
- Staff training, do you have an ACT?
- You may need to change your PMR software, as not all are compatible.
A robot makes for efficient use of bar code technology to select a requested drug from its storage location to the pharmacy staff in as little as 4 seconds. Software interfaced with the robot allows you to trace products, and also it alerts staff as to where there are delays is in the system so they can
be quickly addressed. The robot will facilitate efficient use of time and space,
and a reduction in human picking errors.
By reviewing practices and process before the robot is
installed the efficiencies and ROI can be maximised and customer service can be improved.
If you are considering installing a robot and would like some independent advice please contact Jackie