Dr Giulia, what are the key features of your pharmacy, and what challenges does working in a tourist resort like Davoli entail?
Our pharmacy is around 20–30 m² in size, with three counters, but we offer many services in addition to dispensing medicines: telemedicine, teledermatology, food intolerance tests, laboratory analyses and other preventative health services.
Working in a tourist resort means being able to maintain this level of care even when the number of people in the area increases rapidly. The challenge is to dispense medicines quickly without compromising the time needed to listen to patients, provide advice and deliver services.
In a pharmacy offering these services and subject to significant seasonal fluctuations, why did you decide to introduce a robot?
Rather than simply speeding up the retrieval of medicines, we wanted to improve the organisation of the pharmacy and free up time to devote to services and patients. The aim was to make day-to-day work simpler and more efficient.
How has work in the pharmacy changed since the SINTESI robot was installed?
Now we can spend more time with people. Whilst the robot automatically prepares the medication, we can continue talking to the customer, explain the pharmacy’s services or deal with other requests without constantly having to interrupt our work.
This is particularly important when patients arrive who need medication or advice: the robot takes care of the repetitive tasks and we can focus on providing care. Stock management has also improved: errors are reduced and those responsible for logistics can focus on other tasks.
During peak periods, how does the robot actually help you?
During the summer season, the number of customers increases significantly and queues form more easily. The robot allows us to find products straight away and stay at the counter without having to keep moving about. No more wasting time searching for medicines in the drawers: now we can focus much more on the customer.
Thanks to automation, we’re able to handle peak periods with greater ease and maintain a high standard of service.
What aspect of automation do you value most today?
We particularly value the system’s autonomy. The robot automatically handles many tasks, such as checking expiry dates and retrieving medicines, making our day-to-day work easier and more organised.
How would you describe your relationship with Pharmathek?
We have always found their service to be very prompt, professional and helpful. Knowing that we can count on prompt support gives us great peace of mind.
Would you recommend Pharmathek’s automation system to a colleague?
Yes, we’ve already done so.
Today, automation offers a tangible benefit even for pharmacies in the South, which are proving to be increasingly modern and at the cutting edge. For those working in a tourist resort, it provides invaluable support in managing busy periods with greater ease.
If you had to describe the value of the robot in one sentence?
The robot is our virtual colleague.
The pharmacist’s most important role is to help people: the robot makes this possible.
It handles repetitive tasks, but it does not replace our work. On the contrary, it enables us to do our job better and to continue to grow the pharmacy.
Have you given the robot a name?
Yes, we call him Roby. It came about quite spontaneously: it’s short for ‘robot’ and he’s now become one of us.
