NAME: Anoosha Farooqui

CLASS: 3rd year (6th Semester)

DEPARTMENT: Pharmacy
ROLL NO.: 501-S19-001
SUBJECT: Pharmacy Practice-III (Computer
application)
COURSE CODE: PHARM 519
Cr. Hr.: 3+1
SUBMITTED TO: Sir Khawar
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 31st December 2021
TOPIC: Applications of computer in Community
pharmacy
CONTENTS:
 Introduction of computer

 Introduction of community pharmacy

 Applications of computer in life

 POS

 ERP

 EMR

 EHR

 Drug interaction checker

 Automatic dispensing
COMPUTER:

INTRODUCTION:
A computer is a device that can be programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or logical
operations automatically according to instructions written in a software. Conventionally, a
computer consists of at least one processing element, typically a central processing unit (CPU),
and some form of memory. The processing element carries out arithmetic and logic operations,
and a sequencing and control unit can change the order of operations in response to stored
information.

IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTER IN THE FIELD OF PHARMACY

The computer has become a very common tool in all areas of science and technology. With the
proliferation of the Internet and the developments in computer technology and manufacturing,
the ratio of price to performance of computers continues to decrease. This has resulted in the
development of number of computer applications. In Pharmacy field, effective use of
computers started from 1980. Since then there is great demand of computers in pharmacy
field. The field of pharmacy has immensely benefited by the use of computer and will continue
to benefit as the pharmacist's gain more familiarity with computer. Some of the important
areas where computers are useful are new drug discovery, drug design, analysis, manufacturing
of drugs and hospital pharmacy. Other than these, computers help pharmacist collaborate with
other professionals, which is very essential in today's research work. It also provides solutions
for time consuming manual task. Various hardware and softwares have been developed
without which drug discovery, designing, manufacturing and analyzing would become virtually
impossible. The more important fact is that they will enable us to discover new drugs for the
complete care of dangerous of diseases like aids, cancer etc. and reduce the cost of production
of drugs for diseases which are easily cured.

COMMUNITY PHARMACY:

INTRODUCTION:
The main responsibilities of a community pharmacy include compounding, counseling, and
dispensing of drugs to the patients with care, accuracy, and legality along with the proper
procurement, storage, dispensing and documentation of medicines. The community pharmacist
must be a qualified and pertinent with sound education, skills and competence to deliver the
professional service to the community. A community pharmacist should
(i) have a sound background of pharmaceutical care, pharmacotherapy, and health
promotion.
 (ii) have good communication skills with patients and other healthcare providers.
(iii) maintain a high degree of standard in products, services, and communication.
(iv) record and maintain his documents in order.
“In short community pharmacy is the drug use, control and effective application of knowledge
of ethics, that assures optimal drug safety in the distribution and use of medicines and hence, it
ensures maximum well-being of patients while they are on drug therapy.”
Community Pharmacy is defined broadly to include all those establishments that are privately
owned and whose function, in varying degrees is to serve societies needs for both drug product
and pharmaceutical service. It is the branch of pharmacy that deals with different aspects of
patient care, dispensing of drugs and advising patient on the safe and rational drug use.

APPLICATION OF COMPUTERS IN LIFE:

Computers play a great role in life. Whether at home, in school, at the mall or in the office,
computers significantly help in the accomplishment of various tasks. Be it at work or at play,
computers have undeniably been utilized to perform general or specific activities that enable
life to be more convenient and worry-free.

Computers in Business
In the field of business, computers are very useful. They are used in keeping records of daily
sales and profits. Computers are also used to prepare materials to promote the products of the
business establishments.

Computers in Engineering
Engineers use computers to create the design of a complex object using a computer program
for Computer-Aided Drafting.
Computers in the Government Computers are used to keep records of the people that the
government serves. Several government agencies use computers to facilitate the task they are
required to give to the people.

Computers at Home
Computers are used at home for recreational purposes. You can listen to music, watch movies
and play games. Children use their computers at home to do their schoolwork. Parents use
computers to assist them in doing their daily tasks. If your computer at home has internet
access, then you can explore the amazing features of the Internet in the comfort of your home.

Computers in Manufacturing
Computers are used in manufacturing to manipulate machine that perform dangerous tasks or
tasks that are repeatedly done.
Computers in School
Computer Education is one subject taught in schools today. Teachers use computers in
classroom instruction, in computing grades and in preparing visual aids. Students use
computers to study various computer applications. Libraries are connected to the Internet and
students access the internet to do research.

Computers in Science
Computers are used in science to stimulate experiments, which are dangerous to perform in
real life. Computers are also used to record data and information derived from experiments.

POINT OF SALE SYSTEM (POS):

Definition:
Point of sale (POS), a critical piece of a point of purchase, refers to the place
where a customer executes the payment for goods or services and where
sales taxes may become payable. It can be in a physical store, where POS
terminals and systems are used to process card payments or a virtual sales
point such as a computer or mobile electronic device.

Role of POS Systems in Pharmacy:

Pharmacy POS systems help pharmacies and pharmacists digitally and electronically accept
payments, track available inventory, manage customers, and confirm or approve purchase
orders. These solutions are implemented by retail, clinical, and independent pharmacies alike.
With a pharmacy-specific point of sale solution, pharmacy employees can better manage sales
transactions, leverage payment processing technology, ensure both PCI and health care
regulation compliance, and generate insights on store performance, margin opportunities, and
customer loyalty. Because a pharmacy POS can range in scope and functionality, some
pharmacies can use just a POS system to manage their entire business(es) if the system
provides front- and/or back-of-store management functionality; other pharmacy POS systems
are built specifically to integrate with pharmacy management systems, drug inventory
management solutions, and e-prescribing software.

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP)

Definition:
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a process used by companies to manage and integrate the
important parts of their businesses. Many ERP software applications are important to
companies because they help them implement resource planning by integrating all of the
processes needed to run their companies with a single system. An ERP software system can also
integrate planning, purchasing inventory, sales, marketing, finance, human resources, and
more.

Role of ERP in pharmacy

ERP software in pharmacy is helping in dispensing interface systems for tracking and managing
inventory levels. It is helping in providing access to all data through a single point.
The benefits of using enterprise resource planning software for the pharmacy industry involve
an easier entry of various order types, multitasking billing, multi-level bill of materials process
and thereby eliminates any duplication of drug dose.
ERP pharmacy software system is used to print expiry dates of medicines. With customization
available in ERP pharmacy software, labeling of medication is done through automation.

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD (EMR)

Definition:
An EMR is best understood as a digital version of a patient's chart. An electronic medical record
includes information about a patient’s health history, such as diagnoses, medicines, tests,
allergies, immunizations, and treatment plans from one practice. Usually, this digital record
stays in the doctor's office and does not get shared. If a patient switches doctors, his or her
EMR is unlikely to follow.

Role of EMR:
It is used to store data like medication types and dosage, past and planned procedures, and
data on the patient’s recovery course.

ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD (EHR)

Definition:
An EHR contains the patient's records from multiple doctors and provides a more holistic, long-
term view of a patient's health. It includes their demographics, test results, medical history,
history of present illness (HPI), and medications. EHR allow a patient’s medical information to
travel with them to different specialists, labs, imaging facilities, pharmacies and more.
Examples: eClinicalWorks, Allscripts

Role of EHR in Pharmacy:

Pharmacists use the EHR to compare and contrast
medication lists, link medications to patient
problems, evaluate effectiveness and adverse drug
events (ADEs), and make documentation recommendations to provide a complete history of
the patient’s medications.
DRUG INTERACTION CHECKER:

Definition:
This tool can help you determine if the drugs you are taking have any adverse interactions with
one another, with over-the-counter drugs, or with herbs and vitamins.

Resources:
Print and electronic resources:
Micromedex
Lexicomp
Facts and comparisons
Hansten and Horn’s the top 100 drug interactions
Stockley’s drug interaction
Websites:
Drug interaction checker (Medscape)
Drug interaction checker (drug.com)

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING:

Definition:
These are drug storage devices or cabinets that electronically dispense medications in a
controlled fashion and track medication use.

Background:
Maher Ishak is the owner and manager of
Woodbury Pharmacy in Highland Mills, New
York. Maher Ishak introduced automation to
Woodbury Pharmacy in 2006 with the Scrip Pro
Robot dispensing system, thus freeing the staff
to concentrate on the needs of customers.
Hospitals and pharmacies worldwide have
increasingly embraced automated prescription-
dispensing technology since its introduction into
the US in the 1980s. One of the main
advantages of such a system is the machine’s
ability to dispense large volumes of medication
quickly while eliminating the chance of human error. This has elevated patient safety levels
when the machines are used correctly.
Functions:
The dispensing machine’s key functionalities include barcode scanning, medication labeling,
tracking functionality, controlled dispensation, and automatic documentation. All these
features are designed to reduce risk of human error, ensure safe dispensing of medications, and
handle administration quickly. Units are adapted to comply with regulations set by industry
authorities. The location of the unit is flexible, as the dispensing process can be controlled by a
central computer interface.
Automated medication dispensing devices:

Small systems:
Pyxis medstation
Baxter ATC
Script Pro 2000

Larger systems:
Baker Cells
Baxter International
CONCLUSION:
It is concluded that computers in pharmacy are used for the information of drug data, records
and files, drug management (creating, modifying, adding and deleting data in patient files to
generate reports), business details. It has wide range of importance in pharmacy through
different softwares whether in recording patient’s medical history or checking drug
interactions. The field of pharmacy is awfully benefitted by use of computers getting and
comparing the information to yield an accurate study. In field of operation like new drug
discovery, drug design analysis, and manufacturing of drugs and in hospital pharmacy
computers are widely used. The drug discovery, designing, manufacturing and analysis have
become virtually possible only through the development of upcoming various hard wares and
soft wares. Receiving the details, storing it and processing it and its dissemination is the main
role of computers and this continuous flow of information shows effective functioning of any
system.

REFERENCES:
 http://bspublications.net/downloads/04fc74e29bccd5_Community%20Pharmacy%20Basic
%20Principles_INTRODUCTION%20AND%20COMMUNITY%20PHARMACY
%20MANAGEMENT.pdf
 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/point-of-sale.asp
 https://www.g2.com/categories/pharmacy-pos
 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/erp.asp
 http://www.theerpinsights.com/news/how-pharmacy-erp-system-simplifying-work-processes-
nid-518.html
 https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/electronic-medical-record
 https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article/24/1/193/2631445