Running a pharmacy is a demanding business. The medication you dispense can be crucial in preventing or controlling symptoms of diseases in people, and can very often even be a matter of life and death. Additionally, it is not only important to dispense the right drug at the right time, the condition of the drug prescribed matters just as much—if not more! This is also why an effective and efficient storage system plays a pivotal role in keeping a pharmacy up and running. And if the pharmacy is located on the premises of a hospital, it becomes even more important for the right systems to be in place.
A major part of making a pharmacy efficient involves the right storage systems. From storing customer records to invoices, tax documents and medicinal records, to the actual storage of medication, the right shelving makes it easier to keep things in order.
Custom shelving to fit your practice’s needs
No two businesses are the same. Similarly, not every shelf is built to suit the needs of every space. You may have a small space and need an efficient solution to make the most of that small space. Or you may need specialised storage solutions for medication that needs to be kept at certain environmental conditions. You may even need a dedicated space to administer shots, compound medicines, or to store all your receipts and other documents. You may need shelving modified to fit all your dispensing equipment, such as pipettes, scales, flasks, beakers or graduated cylinders.
Custom storage solution providers generally offer customised storage solutions based on a business’s individual needs and can manufacture in a number of different materials, different sizes and configurations to suit individual requirements.
Efficient document storage
Did you know that the average business spends about 6 weeks per year looking for misplaced documents? That’s six weeks that could have been spent dispensing some much needed medication!
When it comes to healthcare, having a proper record of everything, including patient records, medicinal records, tax documents, receipts, invoices and supply requisitions can be crucial. The proper medication at the right time can make all the difference.
Easier access to inventory and products
An important part of a pharmaceutical business is having medication sorted in its right place. This way, when a customer comes to you with a prescription for medication that is not prescribed very frequently, you don’t need to run up and down your pharmacy to look for it, or fetch a ladder because it is placed in a hard to reach place. Modular shelving makes it easier to store medical inventory so that it is easy to access, safe and secure. Moduline shelving also allows you to configure the storage spaces as per your needs, and are usually complemented with a range of accessories to suit your requirements.
More security for your products
Medicines can be at risk of water damage, fire damage or theft. The wrong medication in the hands of the wrong people can often be catastrophic, as many medicines have addictive properties. Protect your medication from theft, water damage and fire damage by investing in quality storage systems. Steel shelving units are often fire resistant and prevent water from entering it. You may ask your storage solution provider to include a lock and key or other security system that allows you to keep your products safe from theft and burglaries.
Similarly, the quality of environment the drugs are sitting in before being dispensed matters immensely in its effectiveness. Many prescription drugs need to be stored at certain humidity levels, temperatures, air quality levels or may expire faster than others. Expired or incorrectly stored drugs can have grave consequences when eaten, and so must be stored properly.
More efficient stocking
The right storage unit allows you to keep track of exactly what you have in stock at what time so you can reorder with ease. Dedicated spaces for all equipment, medication bottles, lids, bags, droppers, syringes as well as medication allows you to quickly open a drawer or cabinet and quickly take stock of how much inventory you have left.
Increased efficiency
Most importantly, having dedicated spaces for everything in your pharmacy allows you to work like clockwork. When you know exactly where everything is, you will work faster, better and probably won’t have to spend time looking for everyday objects. Grab a medicine bottle from one drawer, the lid from another, pick up a sticker label, measure out your medication, and there you go, all done! A good storage systems provider will consider how often you use something and create a space for it that is easily accessible. You don’t want your medication bottles in one corner of your pharmacy and their lids right on the other!
Organise your pharmacy’s supplies, protect it from external factors and increase productivity and efficiency, all just by investing in the right storage systems for your pharmaceutical business.
