Enhancing Operational Efficiency in Community Pharmacies through Robotic Process Automation

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is revolutionizing pharmacy industry by enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and patient care. This technology automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks, allowing pharmacists to focus more on clinical services and patient interactions. However, the process of implementing RPA and the tasks selection in community pharmacy seems to be vague. Therefore, the study to explore the potential of RPA in enhancing the efficiency of community pharmacy services is needed. This study uses a mixed-methods approach, the research combined qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews and direct observations across 12 to identify key workflows, challenges, and opportunities for RPA implementation. The study proposed four prototype activities for RPA development and testing, focusing on price comparison from multiple suppliers, competitor price checking for healthcare supplements, inventory updates in Point of Sale (POS) systems, and social media content generation. Among these, the price comparison process was selected for detailed testing due to its high relevance and potential impact on operational efficiency. Results from the prototype testing indicated a significant efficiency improvement, with the automated process reducing the average time for price comparison from 7 minutes to 4 minutes per 30 items, translating to an efficiency gain of approximately 42.86%. While the initial setup posed technical challenges and required human oversight, the study demonstrated that RPA could substantially reduce manual effort and errors in pharmacy operations.