JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Pharmacy automation is changing how retail pharmacies operate by streamlining workflows and reducing human error. While studies from developed countries suggest that robotic dispensing can improve accuracy, efficiency, and patient satisfaction, there is limited evidence from emerging markets. As pharmacies in Argentina look to modernize and meet growing expectations, understanding the local impact of these technologies is increasingly important.

Objective:

This study evaluates the impact of the BD Rowa™ Smart automated dispensing system in four retail pharmacies across Argentina. It focuses on operational efficiency, dispensing accuracy, and customer satisfaction, assessing how automation influences waiting times, error reduction, and service quality in an emerging market setting.

Methods:

A prospective quality improvement pre-and-post study was conducted in four retail pharmacies in Argentina. These pharmacies specialize in pre-packaged medications, hygiene products, and personal care items. Prior to automation, all pharmacy activities were conducted manually with barcode-assisted review. Following implementation of the robot, key performance indicators including prescription volume, dispensing error rates, and patient wait times were evaluated at three time points: baseline (before implementation of automation), three months after implementation and nine months post-implementation. Standard techniques were used to determine the full set of indicators and variables collected during each data collection period, and anonymous Likert-type surveys were conducted to measure customer satisfaction – both overall and for wait times.

Results:

The longitudinal evaluation conducted across four independent retail pharmacies demonstrated operational improvements following the implementation of robotic dispensing systems. All sites experienced increases in monthly prescription volumes, with relative gains generally higher in pharmacies with lower baseline throughput. Dispensing accuracy improved from pre-intervention error rates of 0.06–0.08% to ≤0.01% at nine months post-implementation. Mean customer waiting times were reduced by up to 50.3%, with time-to-service improving in all locations. Correspondingly, customer satisfaction scores increased by up to 0.66 points on a 5-point Likert scale, suggesting enhanced perceived quality of service.

Conclusions:

Robotic dispensing systems were associated with significant gains in pharmacy operational metrics, including volume throughput, task accuracy, and service efficiency. The observed reductions in error incidence and patient wait times, along with improvements in satisfaction indices, support the integration of automation in retail pharmacy workflows. These findings support automation as a viable intervention for performance optimization across heterogeneous retail pharmacy environments. Further investigations should quantify economic impact, assess scalability, and evaluate integration with dynamic inventory and workforce management systems.