In community pharmacy, computers play a crucial role in ensuring efficient patient care. The profession of pharmacy is continuously growing. In particular, technological advancements are improving the efficiency of pharmacies as time moves forward. The addition of computers in community pharmacies not only increases workflow efficiency and medication safety, but also increases affordability and quality of education of future community pharmacists. Computers have become an essential tool in the daily operations of community pharmacies and is continuing to grow.
One of the most significant benefits of computers in community pharmacies is the increase in workflow efficiency. With computer softwares community, pharmacists can quickly access and update patient records, process prescriptions, and communicate with physicians and other healthcare providers. For example, according to an article from Pharmacy Times, written by Jason Rubin, “Digital messaging, for example, allows pharmacists to communicate with providers far faster and more directly than with faxes, increasing the likelihood that the care team can solve any issues before the patient even reaches the pharmacy counter.” Technological advancements like this saves time and reduces any possible errors, which also allows the pharmacist to spend more time interacting with patients. In addition, according to PubMed Central, “More advanced systems can provide physicians with the list of medications covered by patient’s insurance plans, provide the list of medications obtained in a specific plan’s formulary, and enable the pharmacist to easily determine the right medication and even provide a safety check on interactions or dosage.” (Murray). This provides only a few examples as to how computers can be used to manage inventory, track prescription refills, and generate reports, streamlining the pharmacy’s overall operations.
An advancement in technology that has also been benefiting workflow efficiency in community pharmacies is automatic pill counting machines. Prior to this advancement in technology, pharmacy employees has to manually count every medication by hand through the tray and spatula method. As stated in the Pharmacy Times, “For example, in a tech-enabled pharmacy, pharmacists no longer have to painstakingly fill prescriptions by hand in the way they historically have in the retail setting. Instead, the pharmacist can spend their time engaging clinically with patients, answering questions and performing important tasks with a real impact on patient outcomes, such as recommending treatment for adverse effects.” (Rubin). The tray and spatula method is very time consuming, especially with bulkier doses to ensure the correct number is manually counted. According to an article from TelePharm, “We now have automatic pill counters, robots to assist with medication dispensing, and virtual prescription verification by a pharmacist. These innovations allow pharmacies to operate at a safer level, making the experience better for the pharmacist, technician, and patient.” (Tucker). These machines are essential to community pharmacy because of the high volume of medications community pharmacists are expected to dispense each day. These computer-like machines use weight sensors to count and recognize medications. Using these pill counting devices reduces the risk of dispensing errors that can harm patients, save community pharmacists a significant amount of time, and increase the safety of patients.
Similar to this, computers in community pharmacies also play a huge role in medication safety. Computers are used to access patient profiles, which contain essential information such as medication history, allergies, and drug interactions. In fact, according to Frontiers in Pharmacology, “These systems employ clinical decision support, which alert prescribers to potential dosing errors, drug allergies and drug interactions. Early investigators considered this a ‘systems solution’ to address some of more common underlying causes of prescribing errors.” (Schneider). With the assistance of these computer softwares, community pharmacists can ensure that the medication that is prescribed is safe for the patient and will not negatively interact with any other medications or medical conditions that that patient may have. It is extremely helpful to have these computers to assist in ensuring medication safety in the pharmacy. Computers can verify dosages, the route of administration, and frequency, which ensures that the patients receive the proper medication and dosage as prescribed by the physician.
This all ties into the fact that computers in community pharmacy benefit the overall management of the pharmacy. Computer softwares are used to manage things including inventory, taking prescription refills, and generate reports. This allows for a well-managed community pharmacy because the head pharmacist can monitor the pharmacy’s performance and identify areas that need to be improved upon. The credentials of pharmacy technicians can be shown on computers and be attached to any work that they complete, therefore, the staff will be responsible for any mistakes that may come up. Computers can also manage things including staff schedules and tracking employee performance.
Computerized decision support is also a very important factor in community pharmacies. According to a study from PubMed Central, “Providing pharmacists with assistance using decision support software can have a positive influence on prescribing practice.” (Curtain). This study focused on the effect of a computerized decision support prompt regarding high-dose proton pump inhibitor therapy on prescribing and medication costs. Generally, it evaluated the effect of computerized decisions support regarding PPI therapy and how patients are typically started off on higher doses and are supposed to step-down to lower dosage going forward. The study ended by stating, “In conclusion, an electronic prompt into community pharmacy-dispensing software was successfully utilized to encourage quality use of PPIs. The rate of pharmacists performing the intervention increased 10-fold.” (Curtain).
Computers also play an important role in helping patients afford their prescriptions. Prescription discount programs, electronic prior authorization, electric prior authorization, electronic prescriptions, price comparison tools, and medication adherence tools are all ways that can improve the affordability of medications. In fact, according to an article from the Pharmacy Times, “As medication costs continue to rise in the United States, use of medication assistance programs (MAP) to help those who are uninsured or underinsured to afford medications is becoming increasingly prevalent.” (Perriello). Many community pharmacies offer prescription discount programs, which are accessed through computers and help patients afford medications. Pharmacy technicians and staff search for discounts on their prescriptions in hopes to provide the patient with the best cost they can find. In addition, computers can also help patients afford their prescriptions by improving medication adherence. In other words, community pharmacies are offering adherence tools, which include automated refill reminders and pill tracking tools. These computer-based advancements help patients stay on track with all of their medication and improve their safety by reducing the risk of medication non-adherence. Also from Perriello’s study, “Total medication savings was $187,789 based on the average wholesale price of the drugs, resulting in more than $10,000 of savings per patient. Most medications were for the management of diabetes, although respiratory conditions and incontinence were also included.” This goes to show how important computers are regarding the affordability of prescriptions and how much of a difference they can make in people’s lives.
Aside from inside the community pharmacy, computers take on an important role in the education of community pharmacists. Computers have revolutionized pharmacy education by leading to more efficient and effective teaching methods and enhancing the learning experience for pharmacy students. Computer-based simulation technology allows students to practice and develop their skills in a safe and controlled environment. According to a journal written by Ahmed M, Gharib, et. Al., “A CBS encourages students to develop their clinical decision-making using evidence-based practice in an active learning environment and test their knowledge, in contrast to traditional memorisation-based education [8,9].” These computer-based simulation systems can simulate real-life scenarios, which allows students to develop their critical thinking skills and decision-making skills without the risk of harming actual patients. This gives pharmacy students the chance to gain valuable experiences before starting their clinical rotations with patients in various settings. This also allows for personalized learning. Furthermore, computers have made it possible for educators to tailor their teaching methods to meet the individual needs of their students. Gharib stated, ” By providing this feature which allows educators to create and widely share scenarios independently (without support or intervention from software developers), it becomes possible to achieve a critical mass of scenarios that cover a broad range of topics, via a crowd-sourcing approach”. This computer-based technology can track a student’s progress and provide personalized feedback and recommendations, which can help the students identify areas where they need additional assistance, ultimately making them better future pharmacists.
In conclusion, computers have become an essential tool in the daily operations of community pharmacies. Through the use of computers in community pharmacies, pharmacists can process prescriptions accurately and efficiently, manage their inventory effectively, maintain accurate patient records, communicate more effectively with patients and other healthcare providers, and process billing and insurance claims quickly. The efficiency of the workflow in community pharmacies increases significantly with the use of computer softwares. Computers have shown to improve overall efficiency, workflow, communication, medication safety, medication affordability, and quality of education for future pharmacists. Ultimately, the utilization of computers benefits all parts of the pharmacy, including patients, staff, and the community. As technology continues to advance, it is likely that computers with continue to play an increasingly important role in community pharmacy.
Works Cited:
Curtain, Colin et al. “Outcomes of a decision support prompt in community pharmacy-dispensing software to promote step-down of proton pump inhibitor therapy.” British journal of clinical pharmacology vol. 71,5 (2011): 780-4. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2010.03890.x
Gharib, Ahmed M., et al. “Computer-Based Simulators in Pharmacy Practice Education: A Systematic Narrative Review.” Pharmacy, vol. 11, no. 1, 2023, pp. 8. ProQuest, https://wilkes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/computer-based-simulators-pharmacy-practice/docview/2779619923/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy11010008.
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA vol. 5,6 (1998): 546-53. doi:10.1136/jamia.1998.0050546
Perriello, Emily. “Clinical Pharmacists Can Improve Cost Savings through Medication Assistance Programs in Primary Care.” Pharmacy Times, Pharmacy Times, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/clinical-pharmacists-can-improve-cost-savings-through-medication-assistance-programs-in-primary-care.
Rubin, Jason. “How Tech-Enabled Pharmacy Can Help Reinvent the Pharmacy Experience.” Pharmacy Times, Pharmacy Times, 22 Oct. 2021, https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/how-tech-enabled-pharmacy-can-help-reinvent-the-pharmacy-experience.
Schneider, Philip J. “The Impact of Technology on Safe Medicine Use and Pharmacy Practice in the US.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 5 Nov. 2018, https://www.frontiers.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.01361/full.
Tucker, Jenna. “Pill Counting: Where It Started, Where It’s Going.” Learn about Telepharmacy, https://blog.telepharm.com/pill-counting-where-it-started-where-its-going.