wow, we dont need pharm dispensers anymore?

[mizzou]

My SO just got her meds from a machine dispenser, "insty meds", literally something straight looking out of fallout. No dealing with a pharmacist at all.

What is the impact these machines have on careers in the pharm field? First one ive actually seen.

 

[Possessed Freak]

Cuts down on a lot of mistakes... assuming the dispenser has a selection of common medication?

 

[IGBT]

prozac vending machines. This will give the dopers ideas.

 

[Minjin]

Engineering jobs up, pharmacists jobs down.

Good. They can go do something useful like be a surgeon or a family physician.

 

[sdifox]

more likely it is just a machine that counts pills and package them. Pharmacist still controls the processing of the prescription.

 

[moshquerade]

My SO just got her meds from a machine dispenser, "insty meds", literally something straight looking out of fallout. No dealing with a pharmacist at all.

What is the impact these machines have on careers in the pharm field? First one ive actually seen.

interesting... yes, might have impact on the profession.

 

[Minjin]

Step One...

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/03/hummelstown_pharmacist_has_rob.html

 

[bignateyk]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Takes some of the human error out of things. Although I guess whoever is stocking the thing might fuck up and put things in the wrong place.

 

[Unheard]

I use a pharmacist for recommendations on things not worth going to the doctor for. I doubt a machine will be able to replace that.

 

[vi edit]

So does the machine actually call the doc back and ask him why he prescribed a particular drug or make an alternate sugesstion based on history or other active drug prescriptions? Or is it just a consumer based pixys machine

 

[Praxis1452]

I don't think pharmacists will be replaced anytime soon. They still have to watch out for drug interactions etc. Which I doubt a machine will be able to replace.

 

[bignateyk]

I don't think pharmacists will be replaced anytime soon. They still have to watch out for drug interactions etc. Which I doubt a machine will be able to replace.

Why not? You could write software pretty easily to discover drug mismatches and interactions. It would probably be better than having a person do it where you depend on their memory.

You could just have a giant database of all known drug interactions and issues that the software could interact with based on the patients prescription and medical history.

 

[sdifox]

Why not? You could write software pretty easily to discover drug mismatches and interactions. It would probably be better than having a person do it where you depend on their memory.

You could just have a giant database of all known drug interactions and issues that the software could interact with based on the patients prescription and medical history.

I can see computer doing searches, but having the computer counter the prescribing doc would be a big stretch.

 

[bignateyk]

I can see computer doing searches, but having the computer counter the prescribing doc would be a big stretch.

So each chain of pharmacies can have these machines networked. They throw up a red flag if the machine thinks that a different prescription is needed, and they put in a call to a call center where you have a couple trained pharmacists standing by to make the evaluation.

That would eliminate the need for all the assistants on the pharmacy, and probably reduce the overall number of pharmacists a store would have to hire since one pharmacist could handle the load from multiple stores.

 

[Minjin]

Why not? You could write software pretty easily to discover drug mismatches and interactions. It would probably be better than having a person do it where you depend on their memory.

You could just have a giant database of all known drug interactions and issues that the software could interact with based on the patients prescription and medical history.

You guys are talking as if this is theoretical. I can tell you for fact that at least one of the largest pharmacies already does this and has been doing it for quite some time. It isn't difficult.

 

[Spoooon]

Anecdote: Well, my father-in-law is a pharmacist. Part of his success is built on the relationships he has with people in the community (customers, doctors). People trust him, etc.

I think this could replace all the techs in the back and serve as a backup to screen for interactions and what not, not so sure about completely eliminating a human, for now anyway.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I don't think pharmacists will be replaced anytime soon. They still have to watch out for drug interactions etc. Which I doubt a machine will be able to replace.

This is one of the applications that Watson was designed for.

 

[OutHouse]

I will not use them, for the same reason I wont use self checkouts at the grocery store

 

[Cuular]

I will use them for the exact same reason I use self checkout at the grocery store. I'm tired of being behind some jerkoff that thinks they know better then the doctor, and force the pharmacist to call up the doctor and verify the directions on their stupid pill bottle.

Let me get my stuff and get out.

 

[Minjin]

I will not use them, for the same reason I wont use self checkouts at the grocery store

Yep, screw technology. I hand deliver my emails. In fact, I just delivered this post right here to the ATOT server room.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I will not use them, for the same reason I wont use self checkouts at the grocery store

Which is...? I think those things are great.

Anyway, automatic dispensers won't be replacing pharms and techs who spend a lot of time on the phone with both doctors offices and insurance companies. Nor will it be suitable for filling non-pill requests, like needles, vials, inhalers, etc...

I'm guessing it only dispenses the few most commonly prescribed meds anyway, and almost certainly won't dispense any controlled substances. I'd even think they'd have to address cross-contamination due to differing med allergies among people. So maybe dedicated tubes for each med...

edit:
Just went and watched videos on the website. It doesn't really address a Walgreens-type pharmacy because it's limited to some particular commonly prescribed meds, in particular quantity and strength. Also, the Rx request has to be in its system already. So an ER, or maybe a setup like Kaiser, would benefit as shown in the videos. But that's ultimately a pretty limited scenario.

 

[nanette1985]

Now if they can just make a machine that can figure out why my doc prescribed a med that my insurance won't pay for, and then get the doc to prescribe something that the insurance WILL pay for, and figure out the exact dosage that insurance approves, and get the doc to prescribe that dosage even though the doc feels that a different dosage would be better, and get that doc to realize that two 5 caps of ramipril are equal to one 10 mg cap, and then get the insurance company to approve of 60 5 mg caps even though the are only 30 days in the month (wait, aren't there 31 days in March?!) and they only want to approve 30 of them -

THEN they can replace the pharmacy techs. Mind you, I feel sorry for pharmacy techs dealing with that.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Now if they can just make a machine that can figure out why my doc prescribed a med that my insurance won't pay for, and then get the doc to prescribe something that the insurance WILL pay for, and figure out the exact dosage that insurance approves, and get the doc to prescribe that dosage even though the doc feels that a different dosage would be better, and get that doc to realize that two 5 caps of ramipril are equal to one 10 mg cap, and then get the insurance company to approve of 60 5 mg caps even though the are only 30 days in the month (wait, aren't there 31 days in March?!) and they only want to approve 30 of them -

THEN they can replace the pharmacy techs. Mind you, I feel sorry for pharmacy techs dealing with that.

In all fairness, your doctor can't be expected to know what is and isn't covered by your insurance.

Insurance formularies were created by the devil.

 

[OverVolt]

Anecdote: Well, my father-in-law is a pharmacist. Part of his success is built on the relationships he has with people in the community (customers, doctors). People trust him, etc.

I think this could replace all the techs in the back and serve as a backup to screen for interactions and what not, not so sure about completely eliminating a human, for now anyway.

It's just instead of 3 technicians, you have 1 technician restocking it, 1 engineer, and one guy running on a wheel connected to a generator...figuratively

It's kind of meh economy wise. It's good for refills of common medications but thats about it. The Pharmacists will always be the one putting the script in and talking to the doctor so I don't even...

 

[Wyndru]

The dispenser took yer job!