"Pharmacy Design Impacts Work Flow" (c) Chain Drug Review, 29 January 2001

A well-designed pharmacy that helps improve the way prescriptions are dispensed is a key tool in easing the ever-increasing workload of community retail pharmacies and affords pharmacists additional opportunities for patient counseling.

"We provide plan view and installation drawings for our customers in addition to consultations and other fixture design services," explains Cindy Davidson, president of Uniweb Inc., a leading supplier of innovative modular pharmacies. "Retail pharmacy chains all face the same question in deciding whether to do a full remodel or to upgrade their current design.

"We believe one of the factors that chains are most concerned with is the capital outlay required for such projects and their expected return on investment. We thoroughly enjoy working with retailers in developing new products and in working on new ideas with them."

At Uniweb the value of a design or display is based on whether the project contributes to the efficiencies of a pharmacy's operation and whether the customer is satisfied.

Other important factors include the durability and aesthetics of the unit and the flexibility of the display.

"Generally I think a main priority of retailers when it comes to pharmacy design is proper space allocation," remarks Davidson. "Retailers are looking for the most bang for their buck, a design that will provide efficient flow of prescriptions throughout the filling process."

Although Uniweb has provided quality design services to other sectors of the retail industry for three decades, it has only been in recent years that the company has increased its focus on pharmacy.

"We saw the need for upgrades in the retail pharmacy environment," notes Davidson. "The more we studied the pharmacy area, the more we realized that some of the standard shelving in many pharmacy departments was 50 years old."

She says that the installation period required for today's pharmacy design systems varies depending on the types of products purchased by the customer.

"Our standard bays install in about three hours, our Counter Wall with standard bays installs in a day, and our modular pharmacy installs in about four days," she says.

Uniweb's modular pharmacy is basically a factory-built, freestanding room with walls, doors and ceiling built to customer specifications. Because it is modular and assembles from within, installation results in minimal store disruption.

"Every chain has its own idea on what it wants, some seek a pharmacy design in which personnel are stationed at the end of the bays, others focus on efficient designs for the drop-off areas for prescriptions or the will-call centers, others prefer back wall filling stations where technicians are separated from pharmacists," observes Davidson.

"Efficiency, speed and accuracy are the universal goals."

A key component of the modular pharmacy is what the company calls its Rx System 2000 interior shelving.

The system includes the walls, bays and adjustable tray shelving. The ability to stock more product in less floor space reduces the area that pharmacy technicians must cover to fill prescriptions.

Davidson believes pharmacy design has changed significantly over the last 10 years and that it will continue to evolve as automation continues to improve.

"The trend has focused on providing a comfortable, professional environment for the pharmacy personnel," she says.

"It is challenging enough for a retailer to fill a pharmacist's position." Davidson says. "Once it has done so the retailer wants to keep that person."