The pharmacy is at the heart of patient care and the community. In recent years new initiatives and healthcare programs have meant that pharmacy staff could be offering a one-minute consultation, dispensing drugs that need to be verified the next to selling headache tablets or throat lozenges for common ailments. In addition, to maximize return on investment in the physical store and offer a broader appeal to shoppers, many pharmacies carry a wide range of complementary products, so customers are just as likely to purchase a candy bar or a lipstick as they are to pick up expensive prescription drugs.
With legislation in place to control and verify the distribution of prescription drugs, barcode readers have never been more important within the pharmacy. Many have had to review the technology currently used, leading to updating equipment to be able to read the new 2D codes used in tracing medication as well as the older 1D codes still in place. Investing in new scanners both for the dispensary and pharmacy payment can also increase efficiency for staff who have multiple tasks to undertake.
Barcode scanners from Datalogic help pharmacies operate efficiently and adhere to the latest regulatory requirements for drug safety and authenticity. Since the first barcode scanned in a retail environment in 1974 on Datalogic technology, we have been using that experience to help businesses grow and overcome challenges specific to many industries, including Pharmacy Payment.
COMPACT SPACES
In order to make room for the dispensary, space for consultations and room to carry extensive stock, the pharmacy payment area usually has a very small footprint, and any scanners used need to be compact, reliable and able to multi-task in terms of reading. Datalogic’s wide range will provide options whatever space is available.
REDUCING THE SPREAD OF INFECTION
By the very nature of their business, pharmacies can face higher risk of infection, as many customers are visiting due to ill health. Pharmacies are called upon to pay extra attention to cleaning devices and surfaces, especially those with higher human exposure. Harsh cleaners and chemicals can cause components and enclosures of devices to become discoloured, weak, brittle and lose integrity.
Many of the scanners manufactured by Datalogic for healthcare use are manufactured with disinfectant ready, anti-microbial materials. These devices are specifically for healthcare applications where harsh disinfecting solutions can damage plastics and where protection against infection is crucial.
One way of spreading infection is via direct touch, such as the exchange of loyalty and payment cards. By using Hands-Free presentation scanners, the risk of cross contamination can be reduced as well as increasing efficiency and scanning ease. Many pharmacy payment areas are evaluating and including secondary customer facing scanning devices for a hands-free experience.
