Pharmacy Counting Tools

Pharmacists serve the daily needs of customers by filling prescription orders and giving necessary information concerning side effects and correct dosage of the medication. For a pharmacist to fill orders, she counts the number of pills inside the bottle to ensure the customer receives the correct amount prescribed by the physician. These tools can consist of either automated or handheld equipment.

Counting Trays

• A pharmacist uses a simple plastic hand tray to fill some prescription orders. These trays hold one type of medication on a main, smooth surface where the pharmacist deposits the pills. Using a counting spatula, the pharmacist pushes the pills into a holding space with a cover on the side of the tray. Once the pharmacist counts the correct number of pills, he closes the cover and pushes any extra pills off the tray. The holding space has an opening on one end where the pharmacist can pour the correct pill dosage into the prescription bottle.

Capsule Counters

• Another type of handheld tray a pharmacist uses is a capsule counter. These counters have little spaces where the pill can fit into once the pharmacist pours the medication inside. The pharmacist closes the lid and shakes or rolls the medication into the spaces, getting an exact amount. Any medication that does not fill the required spaces is set aside as the pharmacist places the correct amount into the bottle.

Automated Counting Machines

• Some pharmacies use large automated counting devices when recording large inventory counts of medication. The automated machines can handle multiple prescriptions, dispensing each of the medication in different chutes as some models can count 60 pills in less than two minutes. Pharmacists also use this machine when experiencing a high volume of prescriptions that must be filled.

Automated Counting Scale

• Pharmacists will use automated counting tools that base the amount of pills in a prescription bottle by weight. An automated counting scale is a tool that can scan the bar code from the bottle to process the type of medication and dosage. The pharmacist pours the medication on the scale while the tool counts the pill amount and sends this data to the pharmacist's computer.