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Volume 12, August
 
 

Pharmacy, Volume 12, Issue 5 (October 2024) – 2 articles

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16 pages, 2478 KiB  
Article
What Do Younger and Well-Educated Adults Think about Self-Medication? Results of a Survey during a Public Science Event at Leipzig University
by Ines Gebert, Sabine Hundertmark and Thilo Bertsche
Pharmacy 2024, 12(5), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy12050131 - 23 Aug 2024
Viewed by 263
Abstract
Background: Consecutive visitors to a public science event at Leipzig University were asked about their opinions/attitudes regarding their personal use of self-medication. Methods: A written questionnaire survey addressed (i) participants’ characteristics, (ii) frequency of self-medication use in the last 12 months, (iii) symptoms/complaints [...] Read more.
Background: Consecutive visitors to a public science event at Leipzig University were asked about their opinions/attitudes regarding their personal use of self-medication. Methods: A written questionnaire survey addressed (i) participants’ characteristics, (ii) frequency of self-medication use in the last 12 months, (iii) symptoms/complaints most frequently considered applicable, (iv) preconditions, (v) limitations, (vi) risks, (vii) fears, (viii) medication information sources, (ix) influencing factors, and (x) reasons for decision making. Results: (i) A total of 189 visitors (median age: 29.0 years; Q25/Q75: 22.0/44.0) participated, of whom 64.0% were female, 38.6% had a university degree, 20.1% were in training, and 14.8% were licensed in a healthcare profession. (ii) A total of 59.3% of participants stated that they had used self-medication regularly in the last 12 months. The most common answers in the respective questions were (iii) headache, 86.2%; (iv) mild complaints/symptoms, 94.7%; (v) duration, 91.6%; (vi) “self-medication may cause adverse drug reactions”, 94.2%; (vii) “developing a habituation effect”, 58.7%; (viii) pharmacists, 93.7%; (ix) “physician’s recommendation”, 89.3%; (x) “intensity of complaints”, 92.6%; and (vi) 61.3% believed that they could choose an appropriate self-medication. Conclusion: Younger and well-educated adults report using self-medication frequently and rate their expertise as high. Healthcare professionals are the preferred source of information. Full article
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9 pages, 1504 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Operational Efficiency and Service Delivery through a Robotic Dispensing System: A Case Study from a Retail Pharmacy in Brazil
by Karen Basile, Monserrat Martínez, Julia D. Lucaci, Claudia Goldblatt and Idal Beer
Pharmacy 2024, 12(5), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy12050130 - 23 Aug 2024
Viewed by 315
Abstract
Drug dispensing in retail pharmacies typically involves several manual tasks that often lead to inefficiencies and errors. This is the first published quality improvement study in Latin America, specifically in Brazil, investigating the operational impacts of implementing a robotic dispensing system in a [...] Read more.
Drug dispensing in retail pharmacies typically involves several manual tasks that often lead to inefficiencies and errors. This is the first published quality improvement study in Latin America, specifically in Brazil, investigating the operational impacts of implementing a robotic dispensing system in a retail pharmacy. Through observational techniques, we measured the time required for the following pharmacy workflows before and after implementing the robotic dispensing system: customer service, receiving stock, stocking inventory, separation, invoicing, and packaging of online orders for delivery. Time savings were observed across all workflows within the pharmacy, notably in receiving stock and online order separation, which experienced 70% and 75% reductions in total time, respectively. Furthermore, customer service, stocking, invoicing, and packaging of online orders, also saw total time reductions from 36% to 53% after implementation of the robotic dispensing system. This study demonstrates an improvement in the pharmacy’s operational efficiency post-implementation of the robotic dispensing system. These findings highlight the potential for such automated systems to streamline pharmacy operations, improve staff time efficiency, and enhance service delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Care Services in Pharmacy Practice II)
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