Advancing Hospital Pharmacy Automation: Impacts, Challenges, and Future Innovations in AI-Driven Medication Management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15662/IJARCST.2025.0803010Keywords:
Robotic Dispensing, AI-driven, Legacy Systems, Predictive AnalyticsAbstract
The use of automation within hospital pharmacy advances patient care, efficiency, and medication safety. We will review current hospital pharmacy automation technologies (for example; robotic dispensing and AIenabled clinical support), and the potential benefits of leveraging those systems (such as time savings and reduced medication error). However, data quality challenges, and capacity to integrate legacy technology complicate and hamper the overall benefit of a pharmacy automation system. New technologies, such as digital twins and real time analytics, may offer much more transformational opportunities in pharmacy practice and practice beyond traditional pharmacy roles to engagement and clinical stewardship. All recommended best practices include readiness to implement in phases, data governance, and engaging stakeholders. Pharmacy automation provides the opportunity to transition from current models of care and outcomes determined by technology. Pharmacy automation presents a new way of delivering precision care and technology-enabled analytics; with the pharmacist at the center of health information management, of digital client care, to impact patient outcomes.
References
1. “5 Key Challenges and Opportunities for Medically Integrated Dispensing Pharmacies in 2025”, Todd Rosenberg,
Madhav Bhatt, CJ Rundell, April 23, 2025, https://www.sheppardhealthlaw.com/2025/04/articles/drug-andpharmaceutical-law/navigating-the-evolving-pharmacy-landscape-in-2025-challenges-opportunities-andinnovations/.
2. “The Use of Operational Excellence Principles in a University Hospital”, Eric R Edelman, Ankie E W Hamaekers,
Wolfgang F Buhre, Godefridus G van Merode, 2017 Jul 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2017.00107.
3. “7 Use Cases of Predictive Analytics with Machine Learning & AI in the Pharmaceutical Industry”, February 7,
4. “Predictive Analytics in Healthcare”, Bilyana Petrova, https://www.revealbi.io/blog/predictive-analytics-inhealthcare.
5. “AI-Driven Clinical Decision Support Systems: An Ongoing Pursuit of Potential”, Malek Elhaddad, Sara Hamam,
2024 Apr 6, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57728.
6. “Intelligent selection of healthcare supply chain mode – an applied research based on artificial intelligence”, Ping
Long, Lin Lu, Qianlan Chen, Yifan Chen, Chaoling Li, Xiaochun Luo, 2023 Dec 11,
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1310016.
7. “10 Essential Healthcare Workflow Automation Strategies”, Paul Stone, September 19, 2024,
https://www.flowforma.com/en-gb/blog/healthcare-workflow-automation.
8. “AI's role in revolutionizing personalized medicine by reshaping pharmacogenomics and drug therapy”, Hamed
Taherdoost, Alireza Ghofrani, October 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipha.2024.08.005.
9. “Scenarios for 3D printing of personalized medicines - A case study”, Netta Beer, Ingrid Hegger, Susanne Kaae,
Marie Louise De Bruin, Natalja Genina, Teresa Leonardo Alves, Joelle Hoebert, Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong,
December 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100073.
10. “Automation of in- hospital pharmacy dispensing: a systematic review”, Sarah Batson, Ana Herranz, Nicolas
Rohrbach, Michela Canobbio, Stephen A Mitchell, Pascal Bonnabry, 2021,
11. “Automation of a tertiary hospital pharmacy drug dispensing system in a lower-middle-income country: A case
study and preliminary results”, Ângela Maria Bagattini PhD, José Luiz Alvim Borges, Rachel Riera PhD, Débora
Cecília Mantovani Faustino de Carvalho, June 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100151.
12. “Challenges experienced during pharmacy automation and robotics implementation in JCI accredited hospital in
the Arabian Gulf area: FMEA analysis-qualitative approach”, May Hassan ElLithy, Omar Alsamani, Hager Salah,
Francis Byron Opinion, Lamyaa Samir Abdelghani, 2023 Aug 6, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101725.
