[SolomonQ]

imagine with an open plan setting:

the pharmacist is busy shifting the workload in the dispensary, many repeat and waiting prescriptions to dispense, nomad/dossette trays to check, queries to make, CD entry to make etc etc... a patient come into the pharmacy and wants to talk to the pharmacist about a chesty cough. normally in such a situation the assistant cud say s/hes busy, but in open plan the patient can see the pharmacist in the dispensary and even though s/he seems to be workin the patient expects the pharmacist to stop workin and come and speak to the patient. Actually in this situation the patient wudnt even ask the assistant and kinda shout out for the pharmacist trying to get eye contact with them, commiting them to talking to the patient. (after eye contact, blanking wudnt really be a polite gesture from the pharmacist).

other issues raused:

-lack of privacy in such settings (e.g. if the pharmacist or other staff are less than pleased they cannot express their disgust because they are in full view of patients, these situations are needed when e.g. the doctor fails to comply to a decent request)

-further degradation of the reputation of pharmacists (people tend to put low value on things they can get to easily e.g. when patients go to see the doctor they wait outside a room with closed door, they might be made to wait longer than expected but dare not complain because the doctor might not treat them properly, thats why doctors are valued but with pharmacists if made to wait for longer than a few mins they can jus go to another pharmacy next time or ask for their RX back)

-patient brings in Rx and wants to wait, Rx passed to dispensary, although there is no one else waiting in the pharmacy, no one is able to attend to it straight away because of other ongoing activities. dispenser cud be in the middle of a large repeat script, and the pharmacist cud b checking a dossette box, what wud the patient's reaction be to this in an open plan setting.

-etc etc...