Workload and availability of technology in metropolitan community pharmacies.
OBJECTIVE
To assess workload characteristics and the presence of prescription processing technologies within metropolitan community pharmacies in the United States.


METHODS
Cross-sectional postal survey.


METHODS
18 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the United States.


METHODS
3000 managers located in community pharmacies processing at least 500 third-party claims per month for four major pharmacy benefits managers.


METHODS
34-item survey instrument designed to collect data about the pharmacy including demographics, workload issues, handling of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), and pharmacists' attitudes toward computerized DDI alerts.


METHODS
Workload (hours of operation, prescription volume, staffing hours, prescription processing intensity) and prescription processing technologies (telecommunication systems, automated counting/filling or verification devices, number of computer terminals, and computer software vendors).


RESULTS
Overall, 736 usable surveys were returned (response rate, 25.3%). On average, respondents reported a volume of approximately 1340 prescriptions per week processed at a rate of almost 17 prescriptions per hour. Independent pharmacies processed approximately 3 prescriptions per hour more than chain pharmacies even though a statistically equal or slightly lower proportion of those pharmacies had automated technologies. The presence of technology was generally high for all pharmacies, particularly countertop tablet/capsule-counting devices and telefacsimile machines. The most common software vendors differed considerably between chain and independent pharmacies.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of prescriptions processed per hour and number of technologies available increased with the total weekly volume of prescriptions processed in this national survey. A majority of pharmacies had at least one type of automated prescription processing technology and an automated telecommunication system for accepting new or refill prescriptions. Independent pharmacies processed more prescriptions per hour than did chains but did so with fewer categories of technologies.
Skrepnek
Grant H
GH
Center for Health Outcomes and PharmarcoEconomic Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, 1703 East Mabel Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. skrepnek@pharmacy.arizona.edu
Armstrong
Edward P
EP
Malone
Daniel C
DC
Abarca
Jacob
J
Murphy
John E
JE
Grizzle
Amy J
AJ
Rehfeld
Rick A
RA
Woosley
Raymond L
RL
D001331:Automation; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States; D014507:Urbanization; D016526:Workload