2010 Marks First Shipments of PharmaSafe Dispensing Units
Inventor Patrick Adams is looking forward to the 2010 ship dates for the first in his line of PharmaSafes. Adams is a pharmacist who recognized the need for a pharmacy safe/dispensing unit that would take the security of the medications out of the hands of pharmacists. He reasoned that if pharmacists are unable to provide access to large amounts of medication it would eliminate the motivation for potential robberies.
The PhramaSafe works by integrating a dispensing cabinet into the security of a 500-pound safe. It includes both dispensing and inventory functions that are compatible with most pharmacy software. The safe will automatically dispense requested medications but before they are available it will keep them locked away for a programmed amount of time (usually 15 minutes). During the waiting period the medication is not accessible to the pharmacist or the staff which makes a quick robbery impossible.
The inventory functions also track medications which discourages employee theft or mishandling. The system is being touted as security, dispensing, and record keeping in one large package.