Does your pharmacy workflow system need some work? Perhaps you're finding it difficult to consistently meet productivity goals, or your dispensing process is more time-consuming than it should be, taking time away from other necessary tasks. While the effects of inefficiencies in your workflow system may be quite clear, just where those inefficiencies lie isn't always easy to pinpoint.

Here we'll talk about defining your pharmacy workflow – how to find and fix problems that stand in the way of the smooth, quick and efficient workflow you need to make the most of your business.

Where To Start?

Problems, of course, need to be clearly identified in order for good solutions to be found, so defining pharmacy workflow begins with observation. That means you'll need to take a step back and watch exactly how work is getting done. If you find it difficult to evaluate your own daily routines objectively – and many business owners do – bringing in a consultant to analyze your workflow system can provide you with the objective and experienced help you need to pinpoint problem areas within that system.

So how would that professional workspace consultant or designer go about analyzing your workflow? By using process analysis tools. Among the most common and effective of these is a spaghetti diagram, which is a visual representation of the flow of people, materials, products, paperwork, etc. throughout your workspace as daily tasks are completed. Mapping these patterns of movement through the workspace makes it much easier to spot where the process is breaking down. Among the questions such a diagram can help answer are:

• Does your workplace layout promote efficient traffic patterns – minimizing the need to travel back and forth for supplies, for instance, or preventing time-consuming difficulties in finding those supplies?
• Are storage areas, workstations and other fixtures convenient, efficient, well-organized and specifically designed to suit the individual needs of your business?
• Do employees clearly know who is responsible for each task or step in the process that needs to be completed?
• Are tasks or steps properly prioritized?
• Is technology up-to-date, and are all employees thoroughly trained in its use?
• Are frequent interruptions disrupting workflow?
• Is inventory managed smoothly, avoiding out-of-stock incidents or overstocking that leads to product expirations?

While the list above certainly isn't all-inclusive, these questions represent the most common pharmacy workflow efficiency problems identified in independent pharmacies. While each of these inefficiencies – and any others you may find as you work with your consultant –  may have just a small impact on its own, the time and resources each one wastes can add up to take a substantial toll on the overall efficiency, accuracy and productivity of your dispensing process. That means that investing a little time and money into correcting them will pay off for your business, whether that means improving the basic layout of your workplace, installing more effective storage solutions and work stations, updating technology, or simply drafting and enforcing clearly defined pharmacy workflow policies.