Pharmacy School

Over the years, technology and equipment for managing a pharmacy has changed dramatically.  The results have been incredible.  Not only are pharmacies being managed in a more professional way, but also in a safer mode.  Obviously, people working in the pharmacy, to include ads, technicians, pharmacists, and doctors of pharmacy, as well as the patients are benefiting from such changes.

To make many of the technological and equipment changes possible, new laws and restrictions required for education have played an important role.  Because all levels of pharmacy workers now need special training, the consumer ultimately gets better service that consists of better, safer, and more accurate drugs.  With this education comes teaching specific to technology and equipment being used.

Technology

Some of the technological changes that have occurred to better pharmacies are automatic dispensers, barcodes, and even robotic systems.  Although these technologies have been around for years, they have evolved into precision solutions, giving pharmacists better control in the operation and outcome while also increasing safety margins.

One of the areas for the pharmacy industry that has struggled has to do with medication dispensing.  As a result, people were walking away with a shortage or overage of drugs, which ultimately costs the pharmacy serious money, not to mention reputation.  However, with the dispensing technology improving, care to patients has been greatly changed.

All types of technology pertaining to the pharmacy arena have focused on better organization and optimized operations. This has also lead to standardization of the processes and dispensing of medication, again reducing errors by having regular procedures.  After all, some errors could be serious and even life threatening.

Typically, wrong dosage, wrong medication, and errors in dispensing have been ongoing challenging for pharmacists.  Using technology such as a computer database has proven vital.  In fact, one system that pharmacies use can catch wrongly diagnosed medication that might cause allergy or drug interaction problems.

The computer systems used also print off information for the patient to include the name of the drug, dosage, instructions for taking the drug, and possible side effects.  With this, patients are given back some control over the overall process.  This data sheet has made pharmacy jobs easier and far more reliable.

Then with the technology of automatic dispensing and systems for double checking, every drug filled is shown on the computer monitor where it can be looked at a final time prior to filling.  There are many different automated systems that have been implemented, eliminating serious problems and challenges for those working in a pharmacy environment.

Equipment

Next for pharmacy technology and equipment, each of the processes mentioned above use some type of system.  For example, labels use laser printers, which take information input into a computer system.  In fact, the computer has been one of the greatest additions to pharmacies, allowing work to be performed in a more fluid and time-saving way.

Software programs have been developed specifically for pharmacies, which are downloaded into the computer and then used on a daily basis for all types of pharmacy functions.  These programs can again double check any prescription written to make sure there are no errors based on a patient’s history.

The dispenser machines also cut back on time and errors.  After all, medication cannot be taken out of the dispensing equipment until the barcode on the bottle has been scanned.  From there, pharmacy technology and equipment work hand in hand to automatically count out the drugs and dispense them for selling.

Scanners that can scan barcodes have also made a tremendous difference.  This one change alone is so substantial that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates over the next 20 years, there will be close to a $4 billion dollar a year savings.  This one piece of equipment ensures that patients are getting the right drug, removing any guesswork or confusion out of the filling process.

Using the barcode pharmacy technology and equipment cuts way down on errors and when they do happen, three different things could happen.  First, the errors occur because input done manually was wrong, sometimes the result of misreading a prescription written by a doctor.  Second, errors happen because of manual overrides.  In this case, two pharmacy employees are involved.  Third, sometimes medication is given out to the wrong patient.

Using the barcode system along with the computer, pharmacy automation has become a reality and one that has changed the way in which pharmacies operate.  Obviously, this enhances a patient’s safety incredibly but it also increases overall efficiency.

Finally, for outpatient pharmacy needs, pharmacy technology and equipment includes robotics.  Although this is still being refined, robotics is proving to be a miraculous benefit.  Again, the automation of the system allows pharmacy workers to focus on other tasks while some of the simple processes are handled in an automated method that is highly accurate.