Dispensing quality? Can pharmacy vending machines and collection lockers deliver high quality care?

From parcelsS1 to sexually transmitted infection testing kits,S2 to milkS3 and pizzas,S4 vending and collection machines can be found at a wide selection of locations. In the field of pharmacy, machines are being used both to sell medication [1] and as collection points for prescriptions [2]. But can such machines deliver care that meets key standards of healthcare quality?

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) framework, widely used in healthcare regulation including by the English Care Quality Commission, defines six domains of quality: safety, effectiveness, patient-centredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity. These domains (Table 1) provide a useful lens through which to examine automated medicine supply technologies.

This article highlights the current uses of patient-facing vending machines to supply medicines directly to patients and examines the potential impacts on quality using the lens of the IOM framework.

Vending machines are used both in the sale of medication [both over-the-counter (OTC) and pharmacist-only] and for the collection of dispensed prescription-only medication.