Compare robotic dispensing, automated cabinets and packaging technology against specific workflow needs.
Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Management
Pharmacy Automation and Robotic Dispensing System Implementation
Guide pharmacy leaders through selecting, implementing and operating robotic dispensing and automated dispensing cabinet systems without disrupting medication safety during the transition.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Robotic dispensing and automated dispensing cabinets promise fewer picking errors and faster turnaround, but only when the technology is matched to actual workflow and implemented with the same discipline as any other patient safety project. This course takes a pharmacy team through that full implementation path. Participants compare robotic dispensing, carousel systems, automated dispensing cabinets and packaging or pouching technology against specific use cases, and build a return on investment model that a finance committee will accept. The programme covers vendor evaluation and requirements specification, interface planning with the pharmacy information system, and the validation testing that confirms an automated system dispenses correctly before it touches a real patient. Later sessions redesign dispensing and verification workflows around the new technology, plan staff training and change management, and set up downtime contingency procedures so a system outage never becomes a medication safety incident. Participants leave with an implementation and operating plan ready to take to their own pharmacy.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Build a return on investment model that quantifies labour, error reduction and throughput gains.
Write a requirements specification that supports objective vendor evaluation and selection.
Plan interface and validation testing that confirms accurate dispensing before go-live.
Redesign dispensing and verification workflows to match an automated system's capabilities.
Coordinate staff training and change management that maintains safety during the transition period.
Design downtime contingency procedures that keep dispensing safe during a system outage.
Who Should Attend
Pharmacy directors and operations managers planning an automation or robotics investment.
Pharmacy informatics staff responsible for system interfaces and validation testing.
Hospital pharmacy technicians whose workflow will change under a new automated system.
Finance and procurement staff evaluating the business case for pharmacy automation.
Patient safety and quality officers assessing risk during an automation transition.
Vendor management staff coordinating implementation timelines with automation suppliers.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Pharmacy Automation Strategy and Technology Landscape
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Automation Technology Options and Use Cases
- Compare robotic dispensing, carousel storage and automated dispensing cabinet technologies.
- Match automation technology options to specific dispensing volume and error-risk profiles.
- Assess packaging and pouching systems for their fit with unit-dose distribution models.
- Identify workflow bottlenecks that automation is best suited to resolve first.
Session 2Building the Business Case and Return on Investment Model
- Quantify labour, inventory and error-reduction savings expected from an automation investment.
- Build a return on investment model that presents payback period to a finance committee.
- Identify risks and assumptions that could change the projected return on investment.
- Present a business case that links automation investment to patient safety outcomes.
02Vendor Selection and System Implementation Planning
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Vendor Evaluation and Requirements Specification
- Write a requirements specification that captures functional and safety needs before vendor outreach.
- Score vendor proposals against requirements, cost, support and implementation track record.
- Conduct site visits or reference checks to verify a vendor's claimed performance.
- Negotiate contract terms that specify service levels, support and system upgrade paths.
Session 2Implementation Planning, Interfaces and System Validation
- Plan interface requirements between the automation system and the pharmacy information system.
- Design a validation protocol that tests dispensing accuracy before clinical go-live.
- Build an implementation timeline that sequences installation, testing and staff readiness.
- Plan a phased or parallel go-live approach that limits risk during the transition.
03Workflow Redesign Around Automated Dispensing
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Redesigning Dispensing and Verification Workflows
- Map current dispensing and verification workflow steps before redesigning them around automation.
- Redesign pharmacist verification points to match the automated system's error-checking capability.
- Set exception-handling procedures for items the automated system cannot process.
- Adjust staffing models to reflect the tasks automation removes and the tasks it creates.
Session 2Staff Training and Change Management for Automation
- Design a training programme that builds staff competence and confidence with the new system.
- Address staff concerns about role change honestly during an automation transition.
- Plan a communication approach that keeps clinical staff informed through implementation.
- Measure staff readiness before removing manual dispensing as a fallback option.
04Operating and Sustaining an Automated Pharmacy
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Downtime Contingency and Safety Monitoring
- Design a downtime contingency procedure that maintains safe dispensing during a system outage.
- Set safety monitoring checks that detect automation errors before they reach a patient.
- Plan a preventive maintenance schedule that reduces the frequency of unplanned downtime.
- Run downtime drills so staff can execute manual back-up procedures without hesitation.
Session 2Performance Measurement and Continuous Optimisation
- Track dispensing accuracy, turnaround time and utilisation metrics after go-live.
- Compare post-implementation performance against the original business case projections.
- Identify further workflow or configuration changes that improve automation performance.
- Report automation performance results to leadership and frontline staff on a regular cycle.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
Complete your registration
We will contact you within one business day to confirm.
Ready to start?
Reserve your seat and start building the skill.