Digital tips and a robot in a pharmacy: what technologies help pharmacists and customers

In the pharmacy network, RUE "Belpharmacy" introduces practically applicable automation elements. This was told to journalists on October 13, Deputy head of the information and pharmaceutical center of the enterprise Nikita Timofeev, reports the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

According to the expert, modern software in the workplaces of pharmacists is able to prevent errors even before they are made. In simple terms, the software paints the interface bright red, signaling a problem.

- A very indicative example of working with preferential recipes, said N. Timofeev. As you know, today all practicing doctors in the system of the Ministry of Health of Belarus are provided with a personal electronic digital signature. But sometimes there are technical failures or a human factor: the patient comes to the pharmacy with an electronic prescription, where all the details are correctly filled in - the nomenclature, type of benefits, expiration dates, data of the medical institution, but there is no digital signature of the doctor.

According to N. Timofeev, in the era of paper recipes, the pharmacist at the end of a difficult shift could banally blur his eyes, and the absence of one of the signatures or seals on the form could be accidentally missed. Now the program instantly blocks the vacation operation and indicates an error. As a result, the number of cases of implementation of incorrect prescriptions decreased by an order of magnitude.

The speaker spoke about a technological novelty - a robot that operates in Minsk, in a pharmacy at the address pr. Independence, 143 (near Vostok metro station).

- The device consists of equipped storage areas and mechanisms for automatic delivery of medicines directly to the cash register zone, Timofeev explained. At the moment, the device is hidden from the eyes of visitors, but our management has already planned a large-scale repair of this pharmacy with the expansion of the service area. The plans are to install a large glass stained glass window through which people will be able to watch the automation work live: how the blocks move, and how the robot collects an order at the storage site.

According to him, in the future in the same pharmacy will install a modern self-service terminal. The buyer will be able to independently approach the screen, choose the right drug, pay for it with a card, and the robot will automatically deliver the medicine to the issuing window. The functionality of the machine will be tied to the payment system: it will begin to execute the command to search for and issue the drug only after the transaction is made:

- Therefore, if the child wants to play, at least need a bank card of the parents. In addition, the updated trading room will be constantly on duty administrator, who will monitor the order. We can't have any curiosities.

In the future, it is possible that similar technological innovations will appear in other pharmacies of RUE Belpharmacy.

The speaker also spoke about the vending machines:

- Our network has introduced vending machines into practice. By law, it is forbidden to sell drugs through them, but we have a large list of products of the accompanying pharmacy range (hygiene products, patches, dietary supplements, vitamins).