WATCH: Robotic Pharmacy Launched In Aberdeenshire
The £150,000 scheme allows users to speak to a pharmacist through webcam and access medicines.
An innovative new robotic 'pharmacy kiosk' is set to revolutionise the way pharmacy services are accessed by people living in remote and rural areas across Scotland.
The kiosk is being trialled in Aberdeenshire, and has been developed as part of a research project led by the University of Aberdeen.
The kiosk allows the user to speak remotely to a pharmacist via webcam and to safely and securely access either dispensed or recommended ‘over the counter’ medicines near to their home.
It took four years to develop at a cost of around £150,000.
The machines will be trialled in the village of Inverallochy, linked to its ‘hub’ pharmacy in nearby Fraserburgh.
It's hoped the idea could be rolled out across other rural areas where accessing pharmacy services is difficult.
Part-funded by the Scottish Government, this project has been developed in conjunction with international digital services company Atos, and in partnership with ARX UK, NHS Grampian, the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh and Robert Gordon University.
The partners believe the technology will feed into and further inform the latest debate around delivering effective healthcare in rural areas.
MFR News speaks with Professor Christine Bond from the University of Aberdeen...
Professor Christine Bond, Chair in General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Aberdeen said: “The role of the pharmacist and the services they provide has expanded greatly in recent years so in rural areas where it is not financially viable to have a pharmacy, the local community are disadvantaged.
“People in rural areas are faced with having to travel further to access a pharmacist and as such there is the risk they may be more likely just to buy medicine without taking advice from a pharmacist.
"Originally we were tasked with exploring whether pharmacy services could be supplied remotely via a video link but then we were introduced to Atos and they were able to bring their expertise to the project.”
David Green, Systems Integration Business Director for Atos in Scotland, said the kiosk delivered a viable solution to some of the challenges of healthcare in rural communities.
He says: “This exciting innovation in patient care will extend existing community pharmacy and ePharmacy services and offer the chance to test the kiosk’s potential to provide new additional services which are integrated with existing NHS Scotland systems and services."