This post was last updated on October 17th, 2022 at 10:41 am
Automated dispensing systems can give numerous benefits to pharmacies, healthcare staff, and patients. Automated systems have inordinate financial and safety benefits, and they rationalize pharmacy operations, improving data workflow and reporting along the way. These technical revolutions have helped pharmacies be competitive in the fast-paced industry, but they have also helped doctors and patients in a number of ways. The sale of these systems is thus expected to bring in revenue of $3,942 million by the year 2030.
Increasing Efficiency, while Improving Patient Safety
Before the accessibility of automated pharmacy dispensing systems, druggists had to offer much of their time to the dull task of filling prescriptions. This meant they had less time to emphasize customer service and execution of their clinical responsibilities. This monotonous task, if done by hand, also had the probability of risking patient safety. As safety-conscious and attentive as the pharmacy staff is, drug dispensing faults are a continuing problem.
As per a study conducted by Johns Hopkins, each year 250,000 people in the U.S. due to medication errors, while the annual number of such instances in India is a grave 5.2 million!
Automated dispensing machines protect patients by lowering the risk of such human blunders. And, since these systems are designed to deal with high prescription volumes on a daily basis, drugstores benefit significantly. Most automated dispensing machines are programmed to take many precautions to guarantee the correct medicine gets to the correct patient in the correct dosage, every time. With the use of barcodes, cutting-edge workflow systems, and reporting competencies, pharmacies are assured that the entire process flows impeccably from order entry to the POS.
Moreover, these systems let experts monitor the correctness of each prescription that is filled. These systems, if appropriately organized, also help in minimizing the threat of infection, which can be an outcome of midair pharmaceutical dust, which some types of machines can produce. Doing so helps workers of the pharmacy and customers by keeping the air clean and breathable.
Freeing Up Time and Helping Pharmacist–Doctor Collaboration
These days, pharmacists are an indispensable part of the team of caregivers, making contemporary healthcare more collaborative than ever. Each and every day, pharmacists offer both medical and precautionary care services, in addition to the conventional duties that dispensing entails. Increasingly, physicians are depending on pharmacists to play a greater clinical role in the caregiving continuum.
Automation in the pharmaceutical sector has become a critical aspect in the effort to countering the associated challenges. As sophisticated automated dispensing systems play a big role in revolutionizing the way druggists work, the alliance between pharmacologists and physicians is enhanced. They assist all the stakeholders involved in healthcare, from the patient to every member of the caregiving squad. With these innovative systems, the druggist is free to execute high-level duties, like building improved relations with patients.
Improving Pharmacy Operations with Tech
These days, automated pharmacy dispensing systems are becoming an integral part of efficacious pharmacy operations. These systems surge patient safety, permit druggists to build relations with both physicians and patients, and allow drugstores to function more competently.
What Other Things Can Be Dispensed?
Though automated dispensing machines are greatly used in pharmacies, they are not the only settings one might see one of these. It is quite common to see beverage dispensers in numerous outlets, from which you can have your favorite soft drink or even alcoholic beverage without even touching them. Not only that, but since the emergence of the pandemic, we can see automated sanitizer dispensing machines at numerous rail and urban transit stations and airports. Moreover, in India, coin-operated automated milk dispensing machines are installed at almost all Mother Dairy booths.
Golgappa Dispenser, for the Unending Love of Chaat
Now, for those chaat lovers in India and abroad who possess an unending love for golgappas, there are various automated machines that dispense the crispy and flavorful puffed balls filled with sweet and tangy water. You just have to put in the money, and the rest is taken care of by the robots. This proves that automated dispensing machines have certainly come a long way and are still open to innovations, which would make them common at more places than ever.
You never know what other things may be dispensed from these machines. The pizza vending machines of Japan are also making waves on YouTube, while in the future, there might be those that doll out burgers as well. Moreover, during global events, such as the Commonwealth Games, Olympics, and football world cups, machines that dispense sanitary pad and other hygiene supplies are widely installed.
The array of automated dispensing machines is quite wide already, and there is a good chance of several more inclusions in the future.
