For several years, pharmacies have been suffering from labour shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened this phenomenon. In August, more than three-quarters of community pharmacists reported that they were having difficulty filling vacancies. This year, due to this labour shortage, many pharmacy chains have announced plans to reduce their pharmacy hours and/or the hours of work for their employees.

This phenomenon is one of the factors triggering the automation process in pharmacies. Indeed, the use of automation solutions allows pharmacies to :

• Free up staff time: Reducing repetitive manual tasks saves time, which reduces stress on employees who can then focus more on patient interactions.

• Attract new profiles of workers who like new technologies: Automated systems can be managed by operators who are not pharmacy technicians, thus broadening the pool of potential candidates.

• Offer better working conditions: As automated systems have a higher productivity than manual filling, the time needed to produce blister cards will be reduced, allowing for more attractive working hours.