Title: Dispensary assistants' attitudes and perceptions regarding automated dispensing machines in community pharmacies

Authors: Kenrick Blaker; Lesley White; Wendy Poyser

Addresses: Department of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia ' Department of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia ' Department of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

Abstract: Dispensary assistants play an important role within the pharmacy dispensary and the introduction of technology can affect that role. Therefore, it is important to understand the attitudes and perceptions of dispensary assistants regarding automated dispensing machines (ADMs) within community pharmacy. This research involved qualitative interviews with pharmacy assistants who work in Australian community pharmacies with or without an ADM, in order to gain an understanding of the differing views regarding ADMs. Dispensary assistants at a pharmacy with an ADM generally had positive attitudes with respect to ADMs, whereas dispensary assistants at a pharmacy without an ADM had mixed attitudes with more expressing negative attitudes. These results are important in the development of strategies to improve successful introduction and use of ADMs in pharmacies. Factors such as training and communication generated positive attitudes in dispensary assistants who had an ADM implemented and generally what differed between dispensary assistants who did not.

Keywords: dispensing robotics; pharmacy assistants; dispensary assistants; community pharmacies; pharmacy dispensing; healthcare technology; attitudes; perceptions; automated dispensing machines; ADMs; Australia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2013.055088

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2013 Vol.14 No.1/2, pp.90 - 109

Accepted: 16 Jan 2013
Published online: 19 Jul 2014 *

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