Lack of new tech may be hindering pharmacy care

Pharmacy services have been slow to adopt new technologies compared to other sectors, a new survey shows.

A survey commissioned by Omnicell UK shows that a lack of automation within pharmacy may be affecting both patient and care home services. Within the survey, 80% of pharmacists believe that automation can improve patients' services while the majority  (73%) of those polled think there should be an increased focus on the use of technology and automation within pharmacy.

More so, almost all of the interviewees (93%) think that funding cuts are the most significant threat to the immediate future of community pharmacy; followed by changing regulations such as FMD, Brexit and recruitments concerns.

Released as part of an awareness campaign by Omnicell to showcase the use of technology to improve patient safety, the survey demonstrates how work pressures and stress are major concerns for the profession. The vast majority of pharmacists (90%) believe that these are caused by government funding cuts and over three-quarters (76%) think that the scale of the patient/staff ratios is a key contributing factor with too few staff dealing with an increasingly high volume of patients.   

Technology could play a part in helping pharmacists cope with increased pressure and time constraints. 88% of those interviewed believe that technology can help pharmacists to explore additional patient services and new revenues – with 66% believing that it would enable them to pursue care home pharmacy contracts.

Paul O’Hanlon, managing director of Omnicell UK & Ireland said: “Technology plays a pivotal role in reducing medication errors and improving patient safety. Whilst the sector has been slow when compared to other industries in harnessing new technology solutions and recognising the benefits – it’s heartening to see that looking to the future there could be an increased focus on the issue, helping community pharmacies to survive in an ever-challenging market.”