Applying the ‘Kaizen’ principle to achieve efficient workflow and productive medication packing. 

By AM B.Pharm, FPS, AACPA, FASCP*

One of my guiding principles has its roots in the assembly lines and corporate meeting rooms of post-war Japan. ‘Kaizen’ describes the process of continuous quality improvement. It is the belief that everything can be improved through ongoing trial and error. A ripple from the smallest positive change can create a flow that achieves the most productive and cost-efficient processes across an organisation.

I was first introduced to Kaizen by a manufacturer who described how a machine operator becomes ‘as one’ with the machine. The operator can pick the slightest change to the rhythm or sound. Allowing them to intervene early, which can be crucial to prevent a bad batch or a machine failure.

So what does a post-war Japanese industrial concept have to do with pharmacy? Eliminating issues within any process improves productivity and output. This means fewer recalls and a corresponding reduction in costs. Quality therefore costs less. It makes sense to me.

The concept of Kaizen offers similar applications in pharmacy. We get into a zone of concentration – being totally in the moment – where we can almost intuitively identify when something is out of the ordinary, irrespective of however slight an irregularity might be. It is both an art and a mindset.

Kaizen inspired the fundamental thinking I put into the �ѱ����ʰ���® Medication Packing Solution. MedsPro arose from my desire to ensure we achieve the same accuracy in manually hand-packing medication as we get from the completely automated �ѱ����ʰ���® Packing Robot.

Successfully applying the Kaizen concept creates an environment of movement and rhythmic momentum. 

The first step in applying this concept to the development of the MedsPro solution was to make sure everything is in reach – no more than one-and-a-half steps. The one-and-a-half steps actually came from a staff member who played netball. For the technician preparing a �±�����ٱ��-�貹��® or Unit Dose 7® pack, having everything they need within one-and-a-half steps, helps to foster a rhythmic momentum. With this rhythm comes productivity and quality output.

We have zero tolerance for error in pharmacy. We have a responsibility to ensure the protection of the community and those most vulnerable. The systematic – almost automatic – process of MedsPro helps cut packing errors to zero.

The MedsPro solution creates a productive packing rhythm with numbered and colour-coded shelving positions to store the medication. These features ensure the most frequently used medications are always closest to the packing technician to improve their flow of movement. The MedsPro process is a unique workflow solution, acknowledged and strengthen by our current patents.

Before MedsPro I remember watching staff packing out of the ‘integrity bags’. They were sitting and working diligently, no doubt, but I never really had a sense of how efficient or productive they were.

Now I can ‘feel’ the efficiency just by standing in their workspace. I can measure their productivity through the reporting and audit trails. I don’t have to guess. I can tell which staff are more productive than others. That matters when staff put in the effort to optimise their performance above and beyond others. Why should they not be acknowledged and rewarded?

Achieving and feeling the rhythm makes the work more interesting and actually reduces stress. ����’s the same as the meditative concept of being in the moment. Letting muscle memory guide our packing process has a soothing effect, as well as being most efficient. Our staff feel this way and no I have no doubt yours will too. The greater the rhythm, the fewer the interruptions, the closer you get to achieving the Kaizen principle.

The closer we get to achieving ‘pure’ Kaizen, the greater the accuracy in outcomes, and the greater reduction in mistake-related costs.

In my pharmacy we packed 574,000 individual doses of medication over a five-week period without even one ‘correction’ required. In this context, ‘correction’ is a soft term where the pharmacist checking packs identifies an anomaly before it is delivered to customers. ����’s about never allowing a mistake to get out. Never the wrong medication. Never the wrong dose. The sense of achievement is palpable!

If you operate with MedsPro now, or plan to in the future, my best advice is to set it up as we recommend. It is an optimised system; a practiced process to follow. Doing so will achieve immediate benefits in productivity enhancement, incredible accuracy and flexibility.

This is one more innovation that continues to have a direct benefit to medication management safety. It is also a win-win situation: reducing the chance of error means reducing patient risk; and greater efficiency helps to keep costs down. ����’s the perfect example of why quality costs less.

* Gerard Stevens is founder and Managing Director of ���سԹ�, Australia’s leading provider of state-of-the-art medication management systems.

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March 2nd, 2020 9:00am AEST

New ���سԹ� Website Enhances the Experience of Pharmacy and Aged Care Clients

Medication management industry leader ���سԹ� has launched a new website (webstercaredev.wpenginepowered.com) with cutting-edge content to enhance the experience of their customers, including pharmacies, registered aged care facilities, community carers, doctors and the general public.

The new website provides curated content that focuses on the specific needs of each group, with a range of features to keep them up to date on the latest industry news and product innovations, plus useful resources to help pharmacies to market and grow their business. 

Our new website is designed around the needs of our various customer groups, focusing on content that is tailored to their needs. It is all about adding value,” says ���سԹ�’s Managing Director Gerard Stevens AM.

“We really want to provide everything at our customer’s finger tips, enabling them to explore what is happening in their sector, plus product updates and promotional materials.

Customers can gain access to all the promotional resources needed to boost their Webster-pak business, including customer guides and more.

It also includes helpful ‘how-to’ guides, tips and videos on ���سԹ�’s latest product releases and wide range of medication management solutions all in one place.

The website provides curated information for the following groups:

• Pharmacy: tips and resources to help grow their business with the Webster-pak range, automation and software.
• Aged care: to optimise medication safety, facility processes and resident care.
• Doctors: to monitor patient progress, observe dosage adherence and reduce incidents.
• Community carers: to monitor medication adherence with solutions tailored for community carers.
• General public: information on how to take the worry out of taking medication, giving independence and quality of life

For more information, visit webstercaredev.wpenginepowered.com

ABOUT WEBSTERCARE®

���سԹ�® is an industry leader in medication management, committed to delivering quality solutions with a focus on patient and resident safety. Gerard Stevens AM, company’s founder and a registered pharmacist, has a relentless passion and commitment to research, development and better patient care, enabling ���سԹ� to remain at the forefront of this industry. His innovations are used throughout the pharmacy, aged care, community and health sectors and his commitment has even led to better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. ���سԹ� has developed more than 600 products and services that each offer smart solutions to medication management.

For more information about the resources available to you from ���سԹ�, go to: webstercaredev.wpenginepowered.com

Issued by

For more information, please contact:

Greg Townley, 0414 195 908 greg@lanhammedia.com.au

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Discover how Abbotsford Family Pharmacy grew their �±�����ٱ��-�貹��® business with the �ѱ����ʰ���® packing system

For pharmacies, �±�����ٱ��-�貹��® and DAA services can mean a significant boost to the bottom line. Not only do blister packs help community patients and aged care residents manage their medications, they can also help build customer loyalty and encourage regular visits to the pharmacy.

Pharmacies seeking to drive Webster-pak growth often turn to our �ѱ����ʰ���® packing solutions in order to increase their speed and productivity while ensuring maximum medication safety. This increased efficiency gives pharmacists and pharmacy technicians greater capacity to offer more services, focus on face-to-face customer support, and boost their Webster-pak business.

Silvana Gittani, Owner and Pharmacist at , shares her experience transforming her pharmacy’s DAA workflow with our state of the art MedsPro packing system and software.

“When we first installed MedsPro, we were overwhelmed with the results. The advantages were brilliant and game changing for our pharmacy, including:

• Less stock on hand
• Less expired stock
• Much more efficient packing times
• Zero margin of error when used correctly, and
• Easy to use

����’s cut our packing time by up to 80% and made packing a fun and interactive exercise.

Gone are the days of the packer being the one who picked the short straw to pack in the corner of the pharmacy. ����’s now a pleasant experience. There is an element of elegance to the system that makes the user enjoy the job.

After we threw out our much-despised ice cream containers with the clipped sides that hurt the nails, we started to enjoy the extra space. We got used to the space and now wonder how we ever did it ‘the old way’.

Soon we got too big for one MedsPro terminal and made the decision to add a second terminal. This was also a game changer as we now had two packers packing simultaneously as opposed to one. This afforded us a huge advantage as it gave our weekday pharmacists a chance to check our packs in time.

Business is growing and we are happy to get an additional MedsPro terminal to use for our nursing home.

This means in two days we can get all our packing done, and there are no delays! No amount of recalls or shortage of supply will affect our supply as we will have ample time to source the medication from a secondary supplier. MedsPro’s initial cost is also quickly recovered by efficiencies at work.

If you are considering a productive packing solution at your pharmacy, I highly recommend the MedsPro packing system.

“You can’t go back to typewriters once you’ve had a Macbook, can you?”

Learn more about the MedsPro packing system or call 1800 244 358 now to speak to our Professional Services team.

Photo attribute: Michelle from

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