Pharmacies must follow measures to reduce errors and protect their customers. Patients come to the pharmacy to get medications prescribed by their doctors. Unfortunately, human error can often lead to the wrong medication being provided and cause personal injuries. By reviewing details about automated systems, pharmacies could avoid medicine dispensing and packing errors.
What Can Pharmacies Do to Reduce Medicine Dispensing and Packing Errors
1. Use Automated Systems for Prescriptions
Automated prescription dispensing systems read the details on the prescription, or workers enter the details from the prescription into the system. By using automated systems, pharmacies decrease errors caused by humans filling the prescription incorrectly. The automated systems can shrink errors by filling the prescription with the correct medication and in the appropriate quantity. Pharmacies can learn more about Wholesale Pharmaceutical Automation by contacting a vendor now.
2. Double Check the Prescription Information
The pharmacy staff decreases medicine errors by double-checking the prescription information. It is important to review the information and ensure that the data is correct in the systems. By adding prompts to the data system, the pharmacy owners prompt the staff to double-check the details by re-entering the information. If the details do not match, the workers must make changes to eliminate the errors.
3. Contact the Doctor If They Used Abbreviations for the Medication Name
If the worker is unclear what certain abbreviations mean, it is critical that they contact the doctor to verify the information. Too often, there are abbreviations that are too similar to other medications, and consulting the doctor will clear up these issues and prevent the patient from receiving the wrong medication.
4. Keep All Medications In Their Proper Place
The pharmacy must stay organized, and the staff must place the medication in the correct place each time. If they misplace the medication, the automated system will grab the wrong medication when filling the prescription and may injure the patient. By staying organized, the pharmacy owner gets the most out of their automation investments and decreases the risk of errors and injury claims.
5. Avoid Distractions When Entering the Information
Even a small distraction leads to a big mistake, and the staff shouldn’t try to do more than one task at a time especially when entering prescription details. They shouldn’t talk on the phone or wait on other customers when entering the information.
6. Hire Enough Staff to Manage Each Workday
The pharmacy manager must hire enough workers to manage the prescriptions and customers that need assistance. By using automated systems, the pharmacy frees up more staff to provide customer service to their customer as they enter the store and need answers to common questions. The workers are there to sell health and medical products to the customers.
7. Use Proper Labeling For All Medications
Proper labeling for all medications stored in the pharmacy prevents common mistakes that could prove costly for the pharmacy. With proper labels, the automated system finds the correct medication and potency. The pharmacy can avoid serious mistakes and ensure that their patients get the correct medication each time.
Pharmacies must put measures in place to stop errors that lead to patient injuries. Automation tools and systems eliminate errors and ensure that patients get the right medication every time. The systems review the information entered by pharmacy workers and fill the prescription. Disorganization and data entry errors increase issues and lead to problems for the pharmacy. By reviewing automated systems, the pharmacy owner decreases these problems and improves business operations.
