How robotic dispensing is revolutionising pharmacy operations

The use of robotics in medication dispensing continues to transform pharmacy operations.

Introducing more automation in the dispensing process doesn’t just improve efficiency by reducing the time it takes to find, pack and dispense medication to patients, it can greatly enhance accuracy and safety and helps to improve the personalisation of patient care.

In this blog we look at how robotic dispensing is revolutionising pharmacy operations and the benefits it can have not just for pharmacies, but for patients.

Before you get into the blog, watch episode one of our new docuseries "The Game Changers of Community Pharmacy" by clicking the image below

The move to robotic dispensing

Robotic dispensing systems are increasingly important to community pharmacies and are becoming more commonplace as the benefits become more clear.

Rather than manually checking details, measuring doses and checking that records match and that the new medications won’t adversely interact with other medications, robotic dispensing is ensuring higher levels of accuracy and safety, at much faster speeds.

From inventory management and storage, barcode scanning, packaging, labelling, dispensing and loading, these innovative systems can handle the dispensing process comfortably and reliably, freeing pharmacists up to have more time on complex requirements and patient care.

As pharmacists face more pressures over funding, rising prices and regulations, many are looking to add additional services to their offering, particularly with the introduction of Pharmacy First.

The challenge is finding the time to administer and charge for the service to ensure reimbursements are made and revenue generated. While medication dispensing may be a small cog in the wheel, automation in this process can save time that allows pharmacists the chance to take advantage of new opportunities.

Increasing efficiency with robotic dispensing

Robotic dispensing increases efficiency dramatically by removing much of the manual processes for pharmacists. Rather than checking prescriptions and medications by hand, and manually checking information, robotic dispensing handles these checks automatically.

By automating the sorting, counting and packaging of medications, robotic dispensing frees pharmacists up for other tasks, such as promoting or delivering additional services.

This is a point touched on by second generation pharmacist Gurminder Singh in the first episode of our new docuseries - The Game Changers of Community Pharmacy.

In the episode - “The Visionary” - Gurminder highlights the challenges community pharmacists face from a time perspective as they battle with delivering “traditional” pharmacy dispensing, while also trying to create new revenue streams from other services.

He said:

“It’s a new balancing act. You could have a couple of new minor ailment patients coming in, plus have some travel vaccinations, smoking cessation patients and so forth, and your day can be filled up very quickly.

“And within that, and those services, imagine having to check numerous amounts of items in between.”

Similarly, robotic dispensing provides real-time tracking of stock, and helps to optimise stock levels based on demand. By automating the reorder procedure, pharmacists can reduce the chances of overstocking or understocking particular items.

Improving patient safety

Medication errors are one of the biggest problems with manually dispensing practices.

From verifying that patient information matches the prescription, checking the medication name, dosage, and the quantity, there are lots of stages that could result in errors when done manually.

Robotic dispensing reduces the potential for human error because they’re designed to dispense correct doses, using advanced algorithms to ensure accurate dispensing.

This includes integrating clinical checks that cross reference prescriptions with patient medical histories to detect potential interactions and alert to allergies.

This additional layer of verification further minimises the risk of errors that could be missed when relying on manual checks - especially during busy periods.

Improving cost-effectiveness of dispensing

As well as increasing patient safety, robotic dispensing has potential to transform operational efficiency, particularly when it comes to cost.

One of the biggest benefits of robotic dispensing is the enhanced inventory management and the ability to reduce overstocks and wastage.

Expiry dates are automatically tracked to prioritise the dispensing of nearly expired medication, reducing wastage while ensuring medications are dispensed within their optimal usage period.

Similarly, stock can be automatically reordered once the levels drop below a designated threshold, ensuring essential medications are always available.

Robotic dispensing also improves future planning by forecasting demand based on historical data, reducing potential shortages of popular items.

Outside of stock management, robotic dispensing can improve cost efficiency by freeing up pharmacists to spend more time delivering other services and ensuring reimbursements are submitted to ensure revenue is ultimately generated from any additional services.

Embracing data driven decisions

Robotic dispensing systems collect huge amounts of data that can evaluate safety and also allow pharmacists to judge their efficiency - which can help prove ROI from the investment.

In one study, a robotic dispensing system was able to show that the time to dispense prescriptions had reduced from 60 to 23 seconds after the introduction of a robotic system.

By reducing dispensing time by more than half (with the data to prove it) pharmacists can more robustly make the argument for the investment, while also using the additional time to focus on additional revenues and services.

Improving the patient experience with robotic dispensing

As the role of community pharmacies change and they become more critical in the administration of services once requiring a GP appointment, ensuring they have the time and resource to get the full potential out of the new opportunities is vitally important.

A key area of improving patient care is having the time to spend with patients to offer a personal service provide specific advice. This time, once taken by manual processes, can be available to pharmacists who utilise robotic dispensing to take the administration out of the process.

With these routine tasks automated, pharmacists can spend more time on patient care, as well as devoting more time to increasing the services they offer to take advantage of schemes like Pharmacy First so they can also boost their revenue potential.

Gurminder adds that robotic dispensing is challenging pharmacists to take on more challenging work and getting back to the core of the job, which is helping patients take their health back into their own hands.

He said: “That human-to-human element is still there and it’s very important to do that. Robotic dispensing is something that’s changed within pharmacy, [giving more time] for those physical and clinical aspects of being a pharmacist: thinking and gauging how a patient is feeling.

“The dispensing side [of pharmacy], people can pick it up in minutes.

“The counter is the hardest thing to learn in a pharmacy because you’re thinking on your feet, almost semi diagnosing a patient as they’re talking and getting in the questions we need to ask.”

According to Gurminder, getting pharmacists back on the counter provides a huge boost both for the pharmacy and for patients.

Another key way robotic dispensing helps with patient care is simply by improving medication accuracy while also cutting wait times. Historically dispensing medications could be time consuming, with manual checks required to confirm the patient’s information, the details on the prescription, while also checking for potential interactions between the prescribed drugs.

Robotic dispensing completes these checks automatically and improves accuracy to around 99.98% according to one report, reducing the potential for errors so patients get the medication they need.

Ultimately, allowing pharmacists to step away from laborious routine tasks and giving them more time to spend face-to-face with patients will increase the overall quality of care offered, leading to better patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Watch the full-episode of Game Changers: The Visionary for better insights into how real life pharmacists are making the most of new opportunities and using technology and additional services to overcome the challenges of modern community pharmacy.

Click the image below to watch the video