Pharmacy Information System Essay Example

updating separate servers for each branch, potential problems that may arise, the ability of the existing system to produce accurate reports in a timely manner, whether a change to a Windows or Linux-based system is needed, and whether IT professionals are necessary for maintenance.The background of the study reveals that drugstores are stores that primarily sell pharmaceutical drugs but also offer related items like candy, cosmetics, magazines, and light refreshments. RIKA Drugstore, owned by Dr. Segundina Velasco and later by his nephew Andrew Velasco, started in 1987 in Osmena, Cagayan de Oro City. The name 'RIKA' was inspired by Erik Velasco. With the help of six pharmacists, six branch leaders, 35 pharmacist assistants and two admin-executive assistants, Ms. Christine Velasco manages the six branches in strategic locations including Osmena, Divisoria, Carmen Market, Carmen, Yacapin, and Gusa. As part of her management duties, she makes sure to visit each branch daily to check on her teammates. Gusa branch is the newest addition and the first to include a convenience store.Each store employs a pharmacist who receives medical prescriptions from healthcare providers, evaluates their appropriateness, dispensing medication to patients, and counseling them on its proper use and adverse effects. In the pharmacist's absence or under supervision, a pharmacist assistant mixes and dispenses prescribed medicines and pharmaceutical preparations. The branch leader serves as the supervisor and purchaser of the establishment, particularly when the manager is unavailable. The purchaser is responsible for buying and receiving deliveries. The executive assistant manages correspondence, research, and communication while acting as a "gatekeeper" for the executive's schedule. Supporting an officer in decision-making and policy setting, the executive assistant is a sought-after resource in

directing the organization's direction. Like other successful ventures, RIKA has experienced many challenges.The establishment has utilized paper-based maintenance systems since its inception 12 years ago. In such a system, each medicine item has a history card or file containing its detailed description. As the establishment grew, inventory required checking logbooks for data comparison. However, the acquisition of a new POS system, UNISERVE POS MANAGER, helped to present a consistent and trustworthy experience for customers. This subsystem is subdivided into inventory, purchasing, wholesale, reports, day-end, and synchronization features. The Inventory feature generates detailed reports about products while Purchasing displays information and generates reports on product distributors, manufacturers, delivered orders, undelivered orders, the date of next purchase, what needs to be purchased along with the quantity and price. Wholesale provides information on items bought wholesale and details of who purchased them.

Reports are generated to identify the medicine that is frequently purchased in wholesale. Daily, weekly, and monthly sales reports are available, including the number of medicines sold. The day-end report displays remaining stocks at the end of each day, while synchronization generates a data report from different branches. However, the development of the drugstore's POS system is causing issues because it is still under development, despite being in use for six years. Any concerns are reported to the technical team of the UNILAB, causing delays in transactions. UNILAB is responsible for troubleshooting and upgrading RIKA'S system when new developments are made. To ensure customer safety, they manually check for expiry dates; sometimes, the dates in the system do not coincide with the actual medicine expiration dates. For instance, if the expiry date is in July

of this year, they pull out the stocks three months before replacement. Manual checks also guarantee proper labeling and shelving. Even bottled products undergo proper arrangements to prevent spilling.

Each branch has its own server, but if one branch updates the prices of medicine, the data will be synced to a central data source and distributed to all branches via PC Anywhere. However, there are instances when prices are not updated due to system logs, and all reports (sales, stock, updates, etc.) are gathered through PC Anywhere. They use a window-based OS that is prone to viruses. In December 2009, the main branch experienced virus problems leading to delayed transactions. Although they attempted to change their POS system to match their establishment's needs, it was not registered with the BIR, so they still use the POS system offered by UNILAB. Furthermore, all branches use the same system as the main branch.

RIKA's approach to doing business goes beyond a mere transactional exchange, as it is fueled by a genuine concern for their customers. The key to their customer loyalty lies in the exceptional quality of service they provide, which includes fast service and highly accommodating personnel. The suki card - a point-based reward system - is one of the ways RIKA ensures that their patrons feel appreciated. Under this system, every PHP 100 spent earns a purchaser 1 point. Accumulating a certain number of points entitles customers to discounts on their billings or free items. This study was conducted exclusively at the Rika Drugstore branch located in Osmena St., Cogon, Cagayan de Oro City, through actual interviews with both the manager and staff. The study

solely focused on this branch; it did not include analyzing the physical structure of the business premises nor evaluate their effectiveness in other locations. Due to confidentiality constraints, information about their financial status was also limited. Lastly, it should be noted that software vendors often provide recommended system requirements that are intended to optimize the performance of their software; while not essential, power users could benefit from such information to enhance software usability.

The Recommended System Requirements are not a guarantee of optimal software performance, but rather a general guideline. Better systems may exist presently or in the future to offer improved performance, even if one exceeds these specifications. While the server in use at VA Linux 1220 IU server features an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 1GB RAM, and an 806B hard drive running Linux Ubuntu, surpassing these system requirements does not promise flawless performance or appearance. According to the Systems Methodology proposed by RIKA, transaction flow should follow centralized servers and include financial analysis for effective organizational planning, budgeting, monitoring, forecasting, and improvement. Though RIKA ascertained during a February 20, 2010 interview that their financial analysis remains confidential, they did express revenue losses due to MDRP regulations that recommend a 0% cut-off for prices of particular medications. These medications include anti-hypertensive, anti-cholesterol, anti-biotic/anti-bacterial and anti-neoplastics /anti-cancer products.

The establishment expresses their willingness to adopt a new system and invest in its improvement. The estimated budget for this includes the cost of a Linux server operating system, programmer's fees, and system licenses. The expected outcome of this change is to address the current time-consuming and unreliable system. Updating the server poses problems as

it takes time for other branches to synchronize with the main server. There is also a lack in their system that cannot cater to the establishment's needs. Thus, there is a need for a new system. The establishment is willing to gamble on changing their current system to make it more effective. Both Windows and Linux come in many different variations from different companies.

Windows can be divided into two main lines: the older "Win9x" which includes Windows 95, 98, 98SE, and Me, and the newer "NT class" which includes Windows NT3, NT4, 2000, XP, and Vista. Windows 3 came before Windows 95. Microsoft no longer provides support for earlier Windows versions or NT3 and NT4, and only partial support for Windows 2000. Linux distributions share the same kernel but differ in add-on software, installation process, price, documentation, and technical support. Both Linux and Windows come in desktop and server editions. The plethora of Linux distributions may be hurting its marketability, as well as the lack of a major-branded Linux distro like IBM. However, Ubuntu is receiving positive attention. Linux is customizable, allowing for variation in user interface from distribution to distribution.The ask bar may be positioned at the top or bottom by default. Additionally, there are multiple specialized versions of Linux available beyond the comprehensive distributions aforementioned. One such instance is the NASLite edition of Linux, which operates from a lone floppy disk (recently updated to enable CD booting), and transforms an outdated computer into a file server. This micro edition of Linux is capable of networking, file sharing, and web serving. It's preferable to suggest Linux in this scenario due to its heightened security

and immunity to viruses. Having IT professionals on hand is an asset for maintaining system effectiveness in the event of complications.