Drug-dispensing kiosks cause controversy

Over at Kiosk Marketplace, James Bickers has written a piece on one of the more controversial new uses for self-service kiosk technology, the drug-dispensing kiosk. While hailed as a timesaver by customers and some pharmacists, others are not so sure. As James notes:

[I]t makes sense to take the most basic pharmacy chores and turn them over to a self-service device. If a skilled pharmacist no longer had to spend a chunk of his day handing out high-dose Ibuprofen and other relatively common refills, he would have more time to devote to the customers who need to ask tough questions or get advice on drug interaction.

But the pharmacy kiosk has generated much controversy in its short lifespan. Pharmacists worry that the machines threaten consumer safety, and given the current shortage of trained pharmacists, they also see them as a threat to their employment.

This is quite an interesting read, and goes into some depth not only about the functionality that such kiosks offer, but also some of the key players and the challenges that they currently face. I'd certainly recommend that you go here and check it out.