A Study of the Pharmacist Work Changes Associated with Dispensing Unit-of-use Packaging in Community Pharmacies

作者：Kobayashi Daisuke; Sakamaki Hiroyuki^*; Komatsu Ryou; Iijima Tomonori; Iijima Yasunori; Ootsuga Hiroyuki; Saito Katsuya; Seki Tetsuya; Nakamura Hidetoshi; Yamaura Tomoyuki; Yokobayashi Kuniaki

来源：Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, 2014, 134(7): 823-828.

DOI：10.1248/yakushi.14-00013

• unit-of-use package
• pharmacists' dispensing activity
• time study

This study aimed to determine how much time can be saved with the use of unit-of-use packaging for prescription drugs as compared with bulk packaging in community pharmacies as well as to determine the number of errors. In a simulation, mock prescriptions were dispensed either in unit-of-use packages or by transferring medication from a bulk container, and a time study was conducted to measure the time spent on dispensing and prescription auditing by pharmacists. Pharmacists' and patients' degree of satisfaction was also surveyed. The time saved with unit-of-use packaging was 66.25 s per prescription. The sole dispensing error that was found in the study occurred with bulk dispensing. Among both pharmacists and patients, many were of the opinion that dispensing with unit-of-use packaging was preferable to bulk dispensing. Unit-of-use packaging shortens the time that pharmacists spend on dispensing activities and increases the efficiency of their work. Unit-of-use packaging is also thought to reduce the number of counting errors.

• 出版日期2014-7