A robot that allows the delivery of medicines to the customer in up to 30 seconds began operating at the Soares drugstore, in Vila Mariana, south of the city of São Paulo. It is the first pharmacy in the state of São Paulo to adopt the technology, according to the manufacturer and distributor of the machine, BD.
The device, developed for street and hospital pharmacies, is sold in more than 53 countries. In Brazil, it is already in use in Manaus and Rio.
The robot is integrated into the pharmacy system. When the medicine arrives from the supplier, a person scans the barcode of the product’s box on a robot sensor, which places it inside through a conveyor belt. Then, with an automatic arm, it picks up this medicine to take it to a shelf.
“He knows exactly which drug is there, the size of the box, the expiration date and the batch. The robot manages the stock. It knows the number and type of drugs available in the pharmacy and the expiration date of each one The robot will always dispense that product with a shorter shelf life”, explains Flávia Contin, leader of the MMS (Medication Management Solution) Brazil business.
BD Rowa also supplies the other three units of the Soares drugstore. “It receives requests with what needs to be replenished at pharmacies. On the one hand, the robot has four outlets for supplying the units. As it reads the replenishment report that comes from the pharmacy, it dispenses. to a unit. Dispensing is done in boxes, which are closed by an employee and sent to the destination pharmacy”, completes the manager.
With the patient, the scheme is quite simple. The pharmacist or clerk takes the customer’s prescription and enters it into the system. The robot reads the prescription and dispenses the medication to the employee, who makes the delivery.
The robot collects the medicines from the shelf of the device itself, according to the amount and dosage, and places them on a conveyor belt that leads to the counter. From the time of reading the recipe to dispensing, the process takes up to 30 seconds.
“The time can be less than 30 seconds, because the robot has an artificial intelligence and, as time goes by, it registers the dynamics of the pharmacy. on their departures those who have a greater dispensation”, says Contin.
The technology allows inventory control after dispensing each medication, and replenishes it according to the pharmacy’s daily demand, avoiding delays, errors and non-compliance.
For Fernando Padilha Pinto, managing partner of Drogaria Soares, the robot will not replace employees. “In my opinion, this part of pharmaceutical services, guidance and humanization, will never be replaced. Automation helps in the humanization of service, which is increasingly valued by the customer”, he says.
“The operation, storage, separation and controls of the product are left to the device, and our team is dedicated to what we see that has the greatest value at the time of service, the most human part, to dedicate to the customer” , says.
The robot works on power. If not, it has a battery with the time it takes to operate until the pharmacy activates a generator.
The device is customized. The project is developed according to the needs of the pharmacy or hospital. The robot can measure from 4 to 15 meters in length, from 1.60 to 3 meters in height and from 1.60 to 2.10 meters in width.
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