The Dispensenator

Do you ever panic slightly that some of the jobs that pharmacists do will eventually be replaced by robots? Like most sci-fi movies we are threatened with the thought that robots will take over the world. After all, robots only ask for maintenance and don’t often complain about increased wages and holiday time. They don’t need breaks or sleep and computational error is far fewer than human error. We already use computers to create and endorse prescriptions, they prompt us about contra-indications and medicine cautions. As for dispensing, a lot of hospitals and pharmacies have purchased robots that can pick up items quickly and bring them to be checked by pharmacists. They can even remind them when they are out of stock.

Of course, there is no substitute for patient contact which pharmacists are so vital for and so maybe if these minor repetitive tasks could be taken care of then pharmacists could come out from under the pile of paper work in the back room. For example, the roles of pharmacists in the United States are changing constantly and they now are actually working alongside doctors. There is a scheme called Medication Therapy Management (MTM) and it is available particularly to seniors who take a lot of medicine at one time. It is a fantastic way of helping older people manage their medicine instead of leaving them to it with on going repeat prescriptions. The patients are not simply visited by a pharmacist, they are given a pharmacist! The pharmacist will see them (at their homes) and initially explain to them which drug does what and what their side effects are. They will write an extensive report about their visit with their patient and note down any tiredness, aches or pains suffered and recommend any alterations to their medicine regime. The pharmacist is a mediator between the doctor and the patient and is available for appointments just like a doctor.

This is a free service for the elderly and it means that the doctor’s work load is reduced as the pharmacist can deal with any minor health changes. It benefits the patients greatly who can feel like they have support available for them and also pharmacists can do what they were originally designed to do – build relationships with their patients and offer their profound medical advice.