Aside from observing proper dispensing practices, pharmacies should also have appropriate supplies and equipment to facilitate quick and proper dispensing of medicines and proper storage to keep medicines in optimum condition.
The pharmacists manning the establishment must always guarantee proper dispensing of all medications to clients to ensure that there won’t be any health risks on the part of the latter. In the overall scheme of the public health system, pharmacists and pharmacies are no doubt among the integral components of the system.
With this in mind, pharmacy owners must have the essential supplies and equipment required for appropriate dispensing and storage of their inventory. Here are six of the key things that a pharmacy must have:
Fridge
No pharmacy should operate without a pharmacy refrigerator or fridge. This basic equipment is critical in keeping certain medicines and pharmacy items that must be stored in a cold environment. Pharmacy fridges are specifically designed for the purpose and not your typical commercial fridges so you can be sure that they’re perfect for your needs.
There are manufacturers and suppliers in Australia that specialise in pharmacy fridges, which means that getting the right fridge for your pharmacy won’t be a problem.
Dosage measures and measure racks
Pharmacists need dosage measures and measure racks when they’re dispensing prescription drugs to patients. These two supplies allow pharmacists to safely and accurately measure and dispense liquid medicines to patients.
The measure racks, for example, can accommodate various spatulas and dosage measures so the pharmacist can have a secure platform while measuring and dispensing prescription medicines. You should have several of these, especially if you have more than one pharmacist.
Material safety data sheets
If you deal with some hazardous chemicals in your pharmacy, you must have what they call material safety data sheets. Such documents contain critical information about the hazardous materials stored in the pharmacy’s facility.
Take note that hazardous chemicals must have a separate storage area that is relatively safe from any accidental exposure to anyone working in the pharmacy.
Compounding equipment
You should also invest in compounding equipment so you can mix, combine, change, or remove certain ingredients in drugs. You must have equipment for both sterile and non-sterile compounding, so you can provide the patient’s specific needs.
Among others, you would need an autoclave, mortar and pestle, a compounding hood, spatulas, vials, scales, flasks, needles and syringes and IV materials.
Personal protective equipment
You will likewise need to invest in some basic personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically for medication compounding tasks. Be sure to get some masks, goggles and gloves to ensure that your pharmacist would be protected from the drugs being compounded and to avoid contaminating the drugs.
Tablet bottles and cartons
These are two very basic supplies that every pharmacy should have. They are essential in the proper storage and dispensing of prescription medicines and are available in different sizes and shapes. They usually have wide necks for easy filling of medicines, as well as a smooth exterior surface that allows for quick installation of the appropriate label.
With these basic pieces of pharmacy equipment and supplies, you should be able to ensure safe and proper preparation, dispensing and labelling of every medicine that you give to patients.