EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF PHARMACY OPERATIONS THROUGH OPERATIONS RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

Abstract

This article discusses the use of operations research techniques to improve the management of pharmacy operations. In the context of Pharmacy Management Information Systems, some of the OR techniques that could be used are: Linear Programming (LP), Queueing Theory, Simulation, Decision Analysis, Forecasting, Network Analysis. The aim of applying operations research is to make it easier for pharmacy owners to manage their businesses by streamlining the process through the use of mathematical and quantitative methods. Operations Research (OR) is a problem-solving approach that involves analyzing and optimizing complex systems. In the context of Pharmacy Management Information Systems (PMIS), the study covers a wide range of areas such as sales inventory, stocks inventory, purchases (orders, receipts), payroll, accounting, financial management, sales reports (daily, monthly, yearly), and the pharmacy prescription book (for senior citizens and persons with disabilities). Additionally, a point of sale (POS) system has been built into the application, which can be used in both single and multi-user environments. The Pharmacy Automate or PMIS is a Windows-based operating system that can significantly improve pharmacy business operations by automating the entire process and helping owners keep track of their inventory and other important aspects of the business. The use of OR techniques has proven to be very useful in the more complex fields of pharmacy business operations.