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How Custom Pharmacy Casework Solutions Affect Workflow
RC Smith
/ Categories: Casework, Millwork, Pharmacy

How Custom Pharmacy Casework Solutions Affect Workflow

One of the wonders of custom pharmacy casework is just how it can transform your working environment into a completely accessible, convenient, and accommodating workplace. And when you’re working in a place that can be as busy, demanding, and critical as a pharmacy, an upgrade of interior design and layout can do wonders for enhancing not only patient experience, but in-office workflow as well.

The average pharmacy provides an average of just under 200 prescriptions to patients every day, equating to just over 60,000 annual prescriptions. If your pharmacy suffers from inefficient organization due to improper cabinets, countertops, and storage units design, that interior ineptitude can drastically reduce the workplace’s productivity.

In order to maintain order and improve patient experience, take a look at some of the ways custom pharmacy casework can provide beneficial solutions to improve the environment’s workflow.

Clear & Concise Organization

When you’re attending to hundreds of prescriptions every day, your pharmacy needs specific interior design strategies that emphasize organization. One of the primary advantages of custom casework design are specialized pharmacy cabinets.

Custom cabinets can be specifically crafted to adhere to the dimensions of your pharmacy workspace, while providing optimal storage solutions that can be carefully labeled and arranged in accordinable to your pharmacists’ preferences.

Advanced cabinetry will address and amend workplace inefficiencies such as extended waiting times and medication organization, both helping enhance overall workflow.   

Stylish Yet Accessible

It’s safe to say that most pharmacies aren’t necessarily applauded for their striking interior design. That being said, finding a balance between a layout that’s visually appealing as well as spatially accessible can work toward improving both patient experience and overall pharmacist workflow.

The secret to stylish and accessible pharmacy casework is implementing bold, distinct designs that are also crafted to improve service quality as much as they’re intended to be looked at. However, too bold of a commercial casework design can put a damper on overall accommodation for pharmacy staff members.

You want your commercial casework features to avoid some of these styles and designs:

●        Overtly angular or curved fixtures

●        Immobile cabinets or shelving

●        Furnishings that create narrow or cluttered aisles

●        Cabinetry or drawers that are spaced too far apart

In the end, you want the interior of your pharmacy to appear sleek and modern to customers to evoke a sense of trust and professionalism, all the while keeping the pharmacists’ workflow and efficiency in mind.

Front vs. Back-End Priorities

Perhaps the most important dynamic to blueprinting the casework of your pharmacy is designing the layouts for both the front and back-ends of the space, specifically in regards to shelving and cabinetry. The basic way to approach both front and back-end casework design is to emphasize accessibility and visibility in the front, while focusing on organization and flexibility in the back.

Front-end shelving should enable pharmacists to immediately locate any merchandise or other inventory that warrants instant access.

Back-end shelving is where efficiency and productivity are highlighted, installing different types of fixtures and shelving to accommodate various types of inventory, all while promoting adequate spacing, functionality, and navigation.

Back-end shelving and cabinetry should also be adjustable, in the event that modification is necessary to adhere to different inventory levels or standards.

Increased Personal Space

Having personal space in a pharmacy environment is crucial, especially when customers speak to the pharmacist. Maintaining privacy is critical and some individuals are uncomfortable with others overhearing their personal health information.

The design and layout of the space is essential, and custom casework can help contribute to this by creating a unique design that allows for soundproofing. This support can help the clients feel comfortable speaking to the pharmacist and reduce the risk of an upset that can directly affect the pharmacy's workflow. 

Regularly scheduled breaks are mandatory in any working environment, and casework solutions can contribute to the overall well-being of anyone using the area. Incorporating a separate and designated break location will contribute to the employee's workflow because it allows them to get out of their work environment.

This offers several benefits:

●        Increased productivity

●        Higher job satisfaction

●        Greater focus and attention

●        Promotes healthy habits

●        Opportunities to relax

Investing in customized casework enhances their break area through personal storage space and adaptable components to support hand held-devices. Having the opportunity to relax can also reduce decision fatigue and result in fewer costly mistakes that can directly affect their efficiency and production levels.

Improved Ergonomic Functions

Ergonomics is a hot topic, and for a good reason. It is a science of making the workplace more comfortable, healthy, and safer, and this can be done directly through custom casework. Correct ergonomics foster a healthy culture within the company and help the staff feel cared for, resulting in higher-quality care for the clients.

Incorporating custom casework that offers easy adjustable settings and storage solutions that are less than a foot away from the person’s body means there’s no struggling or needing to reach long distances. It also enables employees to position themselves with their elbows close to their sides reinforcing proper postures.

The primary objective is to minimize the amount of forceful turning, pinching, or repetitive movements while at the same time integrating electronics that offer automated or light touch options, because both will directly enhance the pharmacy's workflow.

Custom Casework to Address Your Pharmacy’s Interior Needs

At the end of the day, custom casework is what provides your pharmacy with the specific solutions to create a more efficient, productive workflow, utilizing space and organization to enhance both patient and employee experience. When you need custom casework or commercial cabinetry options to improve your workspace, contact R.C. Smith for quality casework design and installation services.

Give us a call at 800-747-7648 to speak directly with one of our pharmacy casework experts.

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