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PHARMACY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (WEB-BASED APPLICATION)

Thesis · September 2023

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10762.24004

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KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF PHYSICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

PROJECT TOPIC
PHARMACY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

(WEB-BASED APPLICATION)

BY
AZIAH DANIEL 20869535
QUAINOO JOSEPH ARKO 20869935

SUPERVISOR
PROF J. B. HAYFRON-ACQUAH

AUGUST, 2023
 DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to God almighty for His care and protection throughout our undergraduate
programme at the university, we also dedicate this work to our supervisor Prof J. B. Hayfron-
Acquah for his support throughout this academic pursuit.

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 DECLARATION

This project work was written, arranged, and compiled by Aziah Daniel and Quainoo Joseph Arko, with
the student numbers 20869535 and 20869935, respectively, under the supervision of Prof. J. B. Hayfron-
Acquah from the Department of Computer Science. This work is presented in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of a BSc. in Computer Science. It has not been submitted, either in part or in
whole, for the fulfillment of another Bachelor of Science Degree elsewhere. All cited references have been
properly acknowledged.

AZIAH DANIEL ……………………………… ………………………

20869535 Signature Date

QUAINOO JOSEPH ARKO …………………………... ………………………

20869935 Signature Date

PROF. J. B. HAYFRON-ACQUAH ………………………… ………………………

SUPERVISOR Signature Date

PROF J. B. HAYFRON-ACQUAH …………………........... ..……….…................

(HEAD OF DEPARTMENT) Signature Date

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty God for His grace, favor, and mercy that have
guided us throughout this journey. The remarkable achievements we've attained during our time
at school would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of our dear ones.

We would like to express our profound appreciation to our parents, whose unwavering support
has been the driving force behind our success. May God bless their tireless efforts abundantly.

Lastly, we wish to convey our sincere thanks and deep appreciation to our supervisor, Prof. J. B.
Hayfron-Acquah for investing time in reviewing our work and providing us the needed guidance
and support. We are also immensely grateful to the entire Department of Computer Science,
KNUST.

iv
 ABSTRACT

The management of a pharmacy entails various complex activities such as stock management,
prescription fulfillment, and ensuring quality service. However, the current manual approach
often leads to errors, delays, and inefficiencies. Our aim is to develop a web-based Pharmacy
Management System to address these challenges and enhance the overall efficiency and accuracy
of pharmacy operations.

The proposed system will utilize modern web technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript,
and PHP, to create a user-friendly system. This will empower pharmacists to manage inventory,
track sales, process prescriptions, and improve the overall workflow in the pharmacy.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION ii
DECLARATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv
ABSTRACT v
CHAPTTER ONE 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 2
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT 3
1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 4
1.4 PROJECT SCOPE 4
1.5 JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT 5
1.6 MOTIVATION FOR UNDERTAKING PROJECT 5
1.7 DEVELOPMENT TOOLS 6
CHAPTER 2 7
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 7
2.1 INTRODUCTION 7
2.2 TERMINOLOGIES USED 8
2.3 REVIEW OF RELATED WORKS 8
2.3.1 eCount Pharmacy Management System 10
2.3.2 BestRx Pharmacy Management System 11
2.4 Advantages of Pharmacy Management System 12
1. Dispensing Workflow Management: 12
2. Inventory Management: 12
3. Pricing and Billing: 12
4. Reporting: 12
2.5 TOOLS USED 13
2.5.1 Visual Studio Code 2020 13
2.6 133
2.6.1 WHY PHP WAS USED 14
2.7 MYSQL DATABASE 14
2.7.1 WHY MYSQL WAS USED 15
CHAPTER THREE 16
SYSTEM DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 16
3.0 DESIGN METHODOLOGY 16
3.1 PROTOTYPE METHODOLOGY 17
3.2 REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION 18
3.3 SYSTEM DESIGN 18
3.4 DATABASE DESIGN 18
3.3. ENTITY INFORMATION 19
3.5 QUERIES USED TO DESIGN VARIOUS TABLES 20
3.5.1 Database Queries for Administrator 21
3.5.2 Database Queries for Staff 21
3.5.3 Database Queries for Drug 21
3.5.4 Database Queries for Sales 22
3.5.5 Database Queries for Inventory 23
3.6 DATABASE TABLES 24
Table 3.1 Administrator 24
Table 3.2 Staff 25
Table 3.3 Drug 26
Table 3.4 Sales 27
Table 3.5 Inventory 28
3.6 DATABASE TABLES RELATIONSHIP 29
3.7 SYSTEM FLOW CHART 30
CHAPTER 4 31
4.1 SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION 31
4.2 ANALYSIS OF THE IMPLEMENTED SYSTEM 31
4.3 DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM INTERFACES 31
4.3.1 ADD ADMIN INTERFACE 32
4.3.2 ADD STAFF INTERFACE 33
4.3.3 THE LOGIN INTERFACE 34
4.3.4 DASHBOARD INTERFACE 35
4.3.5 ADD DRUG INTERFACE 36
4.3.6 SELL DRUG INTERFACE 37
4.3.7 THE SALES INTERFACE 38
4.3.8 EXPIRING AND EXPIRED DRUGS INTERFACE 39
4.3.9 DRUG NOTICE AND INVENTORY INTERFACE 40
4.4 USER GUIDE (Manual) 41
4.5 USER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. 41
CHAPTER 5 42
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK 42
5.1 SUMMARY AND FINDINGS 42
5.2 STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM. 42
5.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE SYSTEM. 42
5.4 WHAT WE LEARNT IN DEVELOPING THE SYSTEM 43
5.5 CONCLUSION 43
5.6 FUTURE WORK. 44
REFERENCES 45
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Administrator table …………………………………………………………… 24

Table 3.2: Staff table ……………………………………………………………………… 25
Table 3.3: Drug table ……………………………………………………………………… 26
Table 3.5: Sales table ……………………………………………………………………… 27
Table 3.6: Inventory table ………………………………………………………………… 28
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 3.1: Interrelationship among the Entities ………………………………………. 29

Figure 3.2: System flow chart …………………………………………………………… 30
Figure 4.1: Add admin interface ………………………………………………………… 32
Figure 4.2: Add staff interface …………………………………………………………. 33
Figure 4.4: Login interface ……………………………………………………………… 34
Figure 4.4: Dashboard interface ………………………………………………………… 35
Figure 4.5: Add Drug Interface …………………………………………………………. 36
Figure 4.6: Sell Drug Interface …………………………………………………………. 37
Figure 4.7: Sales interface ………………………………………………………………. 38
Figure 4.8: Expiring and Expired Drugs Interface ……………………………………… 39
Figure 4.9: Inventory and Drug notice interface ………………………………………… 40
 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

A pharmacy is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the
pharmacy, the standard activities and operational model includes the following; Drug designation
and classification which consist of the arrangement of drugs according to their uses in order to
avoid confusion. Shelves and pallets are setup in the pharmacy for accommodating the goods to
be stored at the pharmacy which ensures air circulation and protects the drugs against humidity.
A desk is required for the person in charge of the pharmacy for administrative work and keeping
of documents. Stocking areas are setup within the pharmacy for receiving medicines from
suppliers.
A pharmacist oversees the fulfillment of medical prescriptions and is available to counsel
patients about prescription and over-the-counter drugs or about general health issues.
Pharmacists have an in-depth knowledge of the chemistry of various drugs and how they react in
humans, and also how drugs interact with each other.
Pharmacy management system is a management system that is designed to improve accuracy and
to enhance safety and efficiency in the pharmaceutical store. It is a computer-based system which
helps the Pharmacist to improve inventory management, cost, and medical safety.
The system allows the user to enter a manufacturing and expiry date for a particular product or
drug during opening stock and sales transaction. It also involves manual entry upon arrival of new
batches of drugs and upon drug movement out of the pharmacy for a certain period, e.g. every
month, the pharmacist may want to generate report for the movement of drugs in and out of the
pharmacy, getting information about the drugs e.g. expiry date, date purchased, number of drug
type left, location of a drug in the pharmacy and managing the employees.
At present, manual system is being utilized in the pharmacy. It requires the pharmacist to manually
monitor each drug that is available in the pharmacy. This usually leads to mistakes as the workload
of the pharmacist increases.

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1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Management of a pharmacy requires great attention to detail as the slight mistake an individual
makes can cause the loss of life of an individual. The pharmacy also requires various works that
includes the management of stock, ensuring the drugs in the pharmacy are up to date and managing
bills.
Due to the patronage and quality service of the pharmacy these days, Pharmacies with a large
number of clients tends to have a lot of workloads which affects the smooth running of the pharmacy
as a result of the traditional way of operating the business. At this period, where the number of
customers that patronize the pharmacy is on the rise, the workload of the pharmacists becomes more
tedious. This makes it difficult for the pharmacist to attend to customers in a short period using the
traditional way.
Meanwhile the pharmacist has to ensure satisfaction in services to keep their customers and to ensure
they provide the right medicine and quality service.
This pharmacy management system deals with managing the medicine stock and selecting the
suitable medicine needed by the customers. The core of pharmacist profession is the maintenance of
quality and the subsequent implication for medical monitor and control in the pharmacy activities.
This pharmacy management system will help solve the various problems encountered by the
pharmacist.

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1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The current mode of managing a pharmacy involves manual entry upon arrival of new batches of
drugs and upon drug movement out of the pharmacy for a certain period. At present, manual
system is being utilized in the pharmacy. It requires the pharmacist to manually monitor each
drug that is available in the pharmacy. This usually leads to mistakes as the workload of the
pharmacist increases.
Meanwhile the pharmacist has to ensure satisfaction in services to keep their customers. The
factors mentioned above, results in delay of the services being rendered to the customers, thereby
slowing down sales and risk losing valuable customers in the long run. Managing a very large
pharmacy with records on papers will be tedious and difficult to keep track of inventories with
regards to the drugs in the store, expiry date, quantity of drugs available based on the categories
and their functions.
The pharmacist has to order drugs to replenish the already diminishing stock. In addition,
ordering of drugs is being carried out manually. Significant amount of time is allocated for
writing the order as the pharmacist needs to go through the stock balance and make rough
estimate of the quantity to order based on figures.

The application will provide quick access to the records maintained and must reveal
the important reviews about the business so that the growth can be easily compared
and will provide the various reports showing the related details that the important
decisions could be taken easily.
The following are among the problems that lead to the creation and development of Pharmacy
Management System Software.

 There is no effective way of managing of information

 It is hard to determine stock balance.

 Preparation of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly reports is hard and time consuming.

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 1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this project is to develop a software for the effective management of a pharmaceutical
store that will be able to achieve the following objectives:
● Ensuring effective policing by providing statistics of the drugs in stock.
● Maintaining correct database by providing an option to update the drugs in stock.
● To provide optimal drug inventory management by monitoring the drug movement in the
pharmacy.
● To ensure that there exists a level of restricted access based on functionality and role.
● To ensure that the system is user friendly.

1.4 PROJECT SCOPE

The scope of this project is to create a comprehensive web-based pharmacy management system
that will streamline the processes and operations of a pharmacy. The system will allow the
pharmacy to effectively manage inventory, track sales, process prescriptions, and manage
customer information.
The pharmacy management system will be developed using modern web technologies such as
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. The system will be designed to be user-friendly and intuitive,
with a clean and modern interface that makes it easy for pharmacists and other staff to navigate
and use.
One of the key features of the system will be inventory management, which will allow the
pharmacy to keep track of all medications, supplies, and expiration information in real-time.

Finally, the system will include a sales tracking module, which will allow the pharmacy to track
sales and other key metrics. This will enable the pharmacy to make data-driven decisions and
optimize its operations for maximum efficiency and profitability.

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1.5 JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

The development of a pharmacy management system is based on the need to improve the
efficiency and accuracy of pharmacy operations. With the increasing demand for healthcare
services and the growing complexity of medications, it has become increasingly important for
pharmacies to adopt modern technologies to manage their operations.
Manual systems are often prone to errors and can be time-consuming, leading to delays in
providing essential services to patients. With a web-based pharmacy management system,
pharmacies can automate many of their processes and improve accuracy and efficiency, leading to
better patient outcomes.
The system will also provide some essential reports on key metrics such as sales and inventory
levels, which will enable pharmacists to make data-driven decisions and optimize their operations
for maximum efficiency and profitability.
Overall, the development of a web-based pharmacy management system is a necessary step
towards improving the quality and efficiency of pharmacy operations, which will ultimately result
in better patient care and outcomes.

1.6 MOTIVATION FOR UNDERTAKING PROJECT

The motivation for undertaking the project of developing a pharmacy management system stems
from the need to address the inefficiencies and challenges faced by pharmacies in managing their
operations. As final year computer science students, the project represents an opportunity to apply
our skills and knowledge to create a solution that can make a significant impact in the healthcare
industry.
Pharmacies are a critical component of the healthcare system, providing essential services to
patients and playing a key role in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications.
The development of a pharmacy management system represents an opportunity to address these
challenges by providing pharmacies with a comprehensive tool to manage their operations. The

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system will enable pharmacies to operate more efficiently and effectively, ultimately leading to
better patient outcomes.

1.7 DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

The development tools used for the pharmacy management system project will include the
following:

Integrated Development Environment (IDE): An IDE is a software application that provides

comprehensive facilities for software development Visual Studio Code will be used for this
project.

Database Management System (DBMS): A DBMS is software that is used to manage databases,
including creating and managing database schemas, querying data, and managing database users
and permissions. Popular DBMSs that may be used for this project include MySQL, Oracle, or
PostgreSQL.

Front-end Technologies: For the front-end development of the project, technologies like HTML,
CSS and JavaScript will be used.

Back-end Technologies: PHP will be used for the back-end development of the project.
Web Server: Apache web server will be used to deploy the pharmacy management system to a
live environment

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 CHAPTER 2

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter focuses itself with what other researchers have done concerning the topic under study. It
reveals theories and concepts that have been generated. It focuses on the various technologies
employed in the area under study, related works and their relation to this pharmacy management
system.

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The pharmacy management system, also known as pharmacy information system, is a system that
stores data and enables functionality that organizes and maintains the medication use process within
pharmacies.
These systems may be an independent technology for the pharmacy’s use only, or in a hospital
setting, pharmacies may be integrated within an inpatient hospital computer physician order entry
(CPOE) system. What is a pharmacy information system (PIS)[1].
Necessary actions for a basic, functioning pharmacy management system include a user interface,
data entry and retention, and security limits to protect patient health information(Speciality pharmacy
times)[2]. Various pharmacy software operating systems are used throughout the many practice
settings of pharmacy across the world. The Pharmacy Technician. Perspective Press 2016 [3]
The pharmacy management system serves many purposes, including the safe and effective
dispensing of pharmaceutical drugs. During the dispensing process, the system will prompt the
pharmacist to verify if the medication they have filled is for the correct patient, contains the right
quantity and dosage, and displays accurate information on the prescription label. Advanced
pharmacy management systems offer clinical decision support and may be configured to alert the
pharmacist to perform clinical interventions, such as an opportunity to offer verbal counselling if the
patient’s prescription requires additional education.
The pharmacy management system approach consist of two different dimensions. The first is an
inpatient pharmacy management system which operates within hospitals and dispense
medications to admitted patients receiving treatment. Inpatient pharmacists manage patient health
alongside doctors and nurses, and the pharmacy management system must integrate with the various

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systems operating throughout the hospital to maintain accurate Electronic Medical or Health Records
(EMR, EHR) and the second is an outpatient pharmacy management system which are used by
retail pharmacies that offer patient care services outside of hospitals and hospital treatment facilities.

2.2 TERMINOLOGIES USED IN PHARMACY

Dose/dosage – The specified amount and quantity of the drug to be taken at one time.
Inventory – A comprehensive list of the assets and items currently and physically in stock.
Label – An informational tag that specifies ingredients, doses, warnings, and potential drug
interactions.
Symptom – A sign or characteristic that may serve as a clue to determine an illness or disease.
Stocks - All items or materials stored within the organization.
Item - One of the products kept in stock, is an input in inventory.
Unit - Standard size or quantity of the items in the catalog.
Control Inventory - Activities or procedures used to ensure that the correct amount should be kept
in stock.

2.3 REVIEW OF RELATED WORKS

Notable researchers have carried out studies into the management of pharmacy and drug distribution
with particular reference to gainful application of pharmaceutical data. Onuiri et al carried a research
work aimed at rectifying the problems of the pharmacy providing a platform for the online
management of the ever-growing pharmaceutical industry in the country, and region as a whole.
The tremendous growth recorded with the use of the internet and the growing popularity of
computers and gadgets in general has in no way slowed down the birth of new innovative ways in
the pharmaceutical management system. These days, computers have become an essential part of
many people’s lives due to the versatility of the devices, and how much they can do with so little
effort. Performing tasks which would have taken hours and maybe days in the past, have become
possible in seconds. The invention of the Internet and other utilities such as search engines (Google
being a prime example), have made searching for the most remote things possible in very little time.
Onuiri E. et al (2016) [4]
Also, the portability of the computer systems has helped the cause in making information more
portable than it was in the past. In the same vein, the management of inventory and taking stock of
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goods and services in different pharmaceutical organizations have become so much easier with the
growth of the computer system. Goldberg et al (1991) [5]. These days, even phones and tablets have
faster processing power than the early generation computers, which has made it easier to perform
tasks.
In China, a text message system was developed to help in general patient pharmaceutical care, and
promote mobile systems. Mao et al (2008) [6]. Onuiri et al in their work reviewed some of the
existing related systems such as the management of inventory in the pharmacy which has taken
various shapes and forms, one of which is called a Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) system.
According to Onuiri et al the VMI gives a supplier full discretion to deliver goods and services, as
long as the customer can fully optimize these goods and services and this method or level under the
VMI system is called the Maximum Level; the other level in the system is called Order-up-to policy
which allows the supplier to get the inventory of the customer to its maximum capacity at every
delivery. Onuiri E. et al (2016) [4]
Various computerized management systems have been useful in helping to save lives around the
world. The earthquake in Haiti in 2010 brought about a need for medicines for the injured, and also
aid for them. Due to the high influx of medicines into the country at the time, an inventory
management system was developed to help the cause. The hospitals in the country did not at the time
have the means to provide medicines to the needy without losing track of what has been given to
who, and what has not been given. Also, the management systems that were proposed and later
implemented helped in tackling shortage problems, thereby saving countless lives in the process. The
Pharmacy Computerized Inventory Program (PCIP) had four processes which include: needs
assessment, the development of the PCIP, implementation of the PCIP, and outcomes and data
analysis with the program proving to be a success and greatly reduced the turmoil going on in the
land at the time of the earthquake. Holm et al (2015) [8]. Other parts of the world such as the Middle
East have not been left out of the trend. A group of individuals in King Saud Bin Abdulaziz
University for Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia came together to study and report findings on a
pharmacy management system in a hospital in Saudi Arabia and the software controlled and
monitored existing stock levels, which allowed them to decide how much quantity of drugs to order
in other to be at full capacity. The application was installed on all computers of the staff in the
hospital which was used and information was directly updated to the database. These various
systems have allowed ease of work at the hospitals and pharmacies, and reduction of errors in drug
related practices. Muallem et al (2015) [9]. Also, with the introduction of these practices, the
9
prescription drug abuse trend has been curbed to a considerable extent. These days, applications
make use of large databases and verification processes. Holm et al (2015) [8].

2.3.1 eCount Pharmacy Management System

eCount is a pharmacy management system used by Panacea for managing their Pharmacy and it is a
robust system for managing any modern pharmacy. It is designed to handle the pharmacy operations
of retail chains and independent stores.

The software includes prescription processing workflows, which allow users to maintain all
necessary prescription information, such as the respective doctor, drugs and quantities prescribed.

eCount Pharmacy Management System tracks changes in inventory and actively replenishes
quantities to match prescription demand.

The pharmacy management system point of sale system (POS) can accept patients’ flexible spending
account (FSA) cards. The POS system also provides users with all details of products picked,
dispatched and then delivered.

The dashboard provides a real-time overview of all prescription activities. Users are able to identify
stocks through color coding. The stocks that are critically low are coded red, while those that remain
but in smaller quantities are coded yellow.

Advantages of eCount Pharmacy Management System are as follows;

● Very easy to use. You can customize the system to suit your exact needs.
● eCount Pharmacy Management System can quickly process prescriptions and retains
important information such as drug quantities.

The limitations are as follows:

● The application can sometimes close without warning the user to save their active work.
● eCount Pharmacy Management System does not prompt the user about drug expiry which
affects the workflow of the pharmacist.

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2.3.2 BestRx Pharmacy Management System

BestRx is a complete pharmacy management solution designed for small and midsize pharmacies
that can transform the way pharmacies does their business. BestRx pharmacy management system is
a Windows-based software program that can help you manage your independent pharmacy more
efficiently.

The BestRx system allows users to search quickly for patients and prescriptions, process refill
requests, access drug-allergy warnings, check weekly drug price updates, scan patient IDs, view
claims, manage inventory, and inspect reporting. Main features of BestRx Pharmacy Management
System includes;

1. Patient Profile

● Prescriptions due for refill as well as expired prescriptions are highly visible allowing for
quick action by the user

● Specialty drugs are highly visible on the profile

2. Workflow
● Integrated workflow for increased tracking and auditing of your prescriptions
● User activity log to track certain employee actions

3. Reporting
● Create custom groups for patients, prescribers, drugs and plans for easier reporting
● Daily log report

4. Inventory
● Create and send purchase orders directly from within BestRx pharmacy management system.
● Track when inventory is transferred to another pharmacy.

Advantages of BestRx pharmacy management system includes the following;

● It can provide real-time monitoring for the prescriptions and medical orders and warn the
irrational use of drugs timely, which thus greatly improve the qualified rates of prescriptions.
● The SMS and notification feature of the BestRx pharmacy management system allows the
pharmacist to schedule messages for the patients to remind them to take their medications.
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The limitations are as follows:
● Ocassionally,BestRx pharmacy management system experience down-time, which affect
stocking inventory.
● The BestRx pharmacy management System crashes most of the time and also it sometimes
takes longer period to print reports.

2.4 Advantages of Pharmacy Management System

The pharmacy management system allows the pharmacy to carry out daily operations. Available
features vary across different systems, but all pharmacies require core functions and capabilities to
perform their duties.
1. Dispensing Workflow Management:
The action most associated with pharmacy is the dispensing of medication. Dispensing occurs from
receiving the prescription from the patient or prescriber to finalizing the prescription before it is
picked up by the patient. This includes operations like Intake, Pre-Check, Fill and Check.

2. Inventory Management:
Various systems provide inventory management tools that allow pharmacists to reorder items,
return unused stock, and organize shelf labels. Ideally, pharmacies keep a lean inventory to avoid
spending money on products that remain undispensed on their shelves. Pharmacy management
systems also support the electronic data exchange (EDI) between pharmacies and wholesalers, which
digitizes shipping and receiving orders, catalog updates, and pricing changes.

3. Pricing and Billing:

Within a pharmacy, financial intelligence is crucial for maintaining the store’s business. Pharmacy
management systems are capable of identifying profit and losses from direct and indirect
remuneration (DIR) fees, rebilling third parties for claims resubmissions, and tracking market
changes so the pharmacy can continually offer competitive prices.

4. Reporting:
Because pharmacies interact with patients and multiple facets of healthcare (payers, prescribers,
facilities, etc.), they gather and store data within their pharmacy management systems. This data may
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be utilized for implementing business intelligence practices, documenting patient responses to new
care strategies, or supplied to an auditor during an inspection or certification process.

2.5 TOOLS USED

2.5.1 Visual Studio Code 2020

Visual Studio Code 2020 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) was used in the development
of the pharmacy management system. Visual Studio IDE provides a collection of tools and services
that aids in the development of robust computer systems. The Tools menu enables you to connect to
a specific database or server, manage all the available library packages, as well as import or export
predefined settings. Visual Studio IDE was used in the development of the pharmacy management
system due to the following;
● Feature Availability
Based on the requirement of the pharmacy management system, Visual Studio IDE was the best IDE
because it included all the tools and features which was essential for developing the system without
having to install a new IDE.
● Continued Usability Support
Visual Studio IDE was used to develop the pharmacy management system because of its focus on
continued usability. There is the need to choose an IDE which focuses on improving its efficiency
and that of the systems developed using it by providing updates that solves any errors in their
previous releases. Therefore using Visual Studio IDE was a great return on investment.
● High performance
The pharmacy management system was developed using the Visual Studio IDE because of it’s
support for high performance systems. The IDE uses a technique which encourages best practices in
system development which results in improving how the pharmacy management system will perform

2.6 THE LANGUAGES USED

PHP programming language was utilized in the development of the pharmacy management system.
PHP is an object oriented programming language used for web based system application product
development that works on the internet. It is known for many of its beneficial features, that includes
PHP being a structured object and component oriented general purpose language, it works on the
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apache web server which is a platform independent, for constructing highly efficient and high
performance application programs. PHP is one of the top programming languages with simple
structural syntax for programming the code blocks.

2.6.1 WHY PHP WAS USED

● Performance
Systems developed using PHP has proven to have high performance compared to other languages.
Developing the pharmacy management system with PHP will help the system quickly respond to the
users input without delaying much time which can impact the delivery of service in the pharmacy.

● Security
The security of the pharmacy management system is one of the essential factors that lead to the use
of PHP for the system. A pharmacy management system requires a high level of security to prevent
unauthorized access to the system to alter the information in the system as a slight change of data can
cause harm to the customers. PHP has great security mechanism in place that will help in securing
the pharmacy management system.

● Maintainability
The ability to maintain the pharmacy management system after it has been developed is one of the
reasons why PHP was utilized in developing the system. As the requirements of the pharmacy shop
increases, there will be the need to modify the pharmacy management system to suit the current
requirement of the pharmacy. PHP has great support for system maintenance which is the reason
why it was used in the development.

2.7 MYSQL DATABASE

MySQL was utilized in building the database of the pharmacy management system. MySQL is a
relational database management system that organizes data into one or more data tables in which
data types may be related to each other; these relations help structure the data. MySQL is a language
used to create, modify and extract data from the relational database, as well as control user access to
the database.

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2.7.1 WHY MYSQL WAS USED

● MySQL uses very fast B-tree tables with index compression, a very fast thread-based memory
allocation system, and executes very fast joins using optimized nested-loop join. As one of the
purpose of this pharmacy management system is to speed the work in the pharmacy, there was
the need to use MySQL because it will make the system process faster which will reduce the
time the pharmacist spends in attending to a customer in the pharmacy.

● MySQL has mechanism in place that checks whether the data in the pharmacy management
system has no duplicates which will ensure there is consistency in the data provided in the
pharmacy management system to avoid making wrong decisions. Again, the backup and
restore feature of MySQL allows the data in the pharmacy management system to backed up
in a safer place and later restored in case of any damage to the pharmacy management system.

● Pharmacy management system deals with customer’s sensitive data, therefore it requires
database system that has proper security features in place to help it achieve the maximum
security it requires. MySQL has security features that include user account management and
access control which manages who can have access to certain features in the pharmacy
management system. Also, MySQL also has password-validation component that protects
sensitive data from intruders and ensures that a user requires the authenticated password alone to
be able to access the pharmacy management system. These are some of the reasons why MySQL
is the best choice for the pharmacy management system.

15
 CHAPTER THREE

SYSTEM DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.0 DESIGN METHODOLOGY

Software development methodology is the process of dividing software development work

into distinct phases to improve design, product management, and project management. It is
also known as a software development life cycle. The methodology may include the pre-
definition of specific deliverables and artifacts that are created and completed by a project
team to develop or maintain an application. Other methodologies include waterfall,
prototyping, iterative and incremental development, spiral development, rapid application
development, and extreme programming.

3.1 PROTOTYPE METHODOLOGY

Prototyping is known to be a product design and development method that is used nowadays in
various fields such as in mechanical engineering and software development. The software
engineering principle or methodology that has been used to design this pharmacy management
system is prototyping. Basically, it involves the creation of a partial model to test a concept or
process of an object. Reasons why we made use of the prototype model for the pharmacy
management system are as follows:

i. Get feedback quickly and resolve early product issues:

Close communication between product design team and customer is the key to an effective prototype
model; user and designer’s involvement in the product development process allows them to
configure and enhance a model and then provide valuable feedback. Whenever you have customers
or stakeholders, feedback will be vital to your projects success. The sooner you can provide them
with the prototype, quicker the feedback you can acquire and the process can be shortened.

ii. Build better product through many iteration:

For product designers, the goal is to test the product thoroughly and ensure that it all works as
intended. In the prototyping process, you need to repeat a series of steps until the idea and design are

16
validated. In other to produce a high-quality product, you should run through build-measure-learn
loop as many times as you can. The more changes you get to improve the products features and
functionality using the prototypes, the final product will definitely be better.

iii. The developer gains experience and insight by developing a prototype thereby resulting in better
implementation of requirements. The model serves to clarify requirements, which are not clear,
hence reducing ambiguity and improving communication between the developers and users.

iv. The model serves to clarify requirements, which are not clear, hence reducing ambiguity and
improving communication between the developers and users. There is a great involvement of
users in software development. Hence, the requirements of the users are met to the greatest
extent and helps in reducing risks associated with the software.

Prototype model diagram.

In conclusion as prototyping technology and techniques have been improved dramatically nowadays,
designers and engineers have more changes to produce a quality and well-designed product before
mass production. Prototyping help shorten the entire production process and provides a competitive
advantage to the development team. These are the main reasons why prototyping model was chosen
as the best fit for the pharmacy management system.

17
3.2 REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION

Analyzing the system requirement is the act of getting and gathering information from various
sources in order to be able to develop the pharmacy management system. Data used for developing
the pharmacy management system were gathered through several means. Therefore the method used
in the design and collections of information from various sources are as follows:
● Collecting, reviewing and analyzing existing materials on pharmacy management system, written
by different expert.
● Studying the present system in detail and the organizational style.
● Knowing and understanding the input and output processes of the existing system.
● Interviews: A qualitative form of interview was conducted in the pharmacy to know the features
needed in the pharmacy management system, and the mode of operation of the old system.

3.3 SYSTEM DESIGN

System design is the process of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data
for a system to satisfy specified requirements through system modeling. One could see it as the
application of systems theory to produce development. The design of this pharmacy management
system will be user friendly. It shall be designed in such a way that employees will be able to
navigate easily through the information supplied on the system.
In other words, system design consists of design activities that produce system specifications
satisfying the requirements that were developed in the system analysis process. System design
specifies how the system will accomplish. System design is the structural implementation of the
system analysis.

3.4 DATABASE DESIGN

Database design is an organization of data according to a database model. The database design was
determined based on the analysis of the requirement of the pharmacy management system and it
outlines what data must be stored and how the data elements interrelate, with this information, they
can begin to fit the data to the database model.

18
3.3. ENTITY INFORMATION

Entity: Administrator
Admin_ID (PK)
Name
Email
Password
Image

Entity: Staff

Staff_ID (PK)

Name

Email

Password

Image

Entity: Drug

Drug ID (PK)

Category

Drug_Name

Size

Price

Quantity

Location

Manufacturer

Production_Date

Expiry_Date

19
Entity: Sales
Sales_ID (PK)
Category
Name
Price
Quantity
Total Price
Discount
Sale Price
Manufacturer
Production_Date
Expiry_Date
Sales Date

Entity: Inventory
ID_No.
Category
Name
Size
Price
Quantity
Location
Manufacturer
Production_date
Expiry Date

20
3.5 QUERIES USED TO DESIGN VARIOUS TABLES
3.5.1 Database Queries for Administrator

CREATE TABLE ‘Admin’

(‘Admin_ID’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Name’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Email’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
‘Password’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
‘Image’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY(‘Admin_ID’));

3.5.2 Database Queries for Staff

CREATE TABLE ‘Staff’
(‘Staff_ID’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Name’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Email’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
‘Password’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
‘Image’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY(‘Staff_ID’));

3.5.3 Database Queries for Drug

CREATE TABLE ‘Drug’
( ‘Drug_ID’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Category’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Drug_Name’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Size’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Price’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Quantity’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Location’ Varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Manufacturer’ Varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Production_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Expiry_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
21
PRIMARY KEY(‘Drug_ID’));

3.5.4 Database Queries for Sales

CREATE TABLE ‘Sales’
(‘Sales_ID’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Category’ Varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Name’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Price’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Quantity’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Total_Price’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Discount’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Sale_Price’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Manufacturer’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Production_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Expiry_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Sales_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (‘Sales_ID’));

3.5.5 Database Queries for Seller

CREATE TABLE ‘Seller’
(‘Seller_ID’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Image’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Name’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Email’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Mobile_Number’ int (20) NOT NULL,
‘Address’ varchar (20) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (‘Seller_ID’));

22
3.5.6 Database Queries for Inventory
CREATE TABLE ‘Inventory’
( ‘ID_No.’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Category’ Varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Name’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Size’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Price’ int (20) NOT NULL,
‘Quantity’ int (20) NOT NULL,
‘Location’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Manufacturer’ varchar (50) NOT NULL,
‘Production_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
‘Expiry_Date’ int (50) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (‘Serial_No.’));

23
3.6 DATABASE TABLES

Table 3.1 Administrator

Field Field
Field Name Description
Type Length

Administrator’s unique number which is the

Admin_ID(PK) Int (50)
primary key

Name Varchar (50) Administrator’s full name

Administrator’s email address which will be used

Email Varchar ( 20)
to login

Password Varchar (20 ) Administrator’s login password

Image Varchar ( 50) Administrator’s personal picture

Table 3.1

The Administrator table (Table 3.1): This table is named Admin and it stores information about the
administrator in the pharmacy management system. The system verifies from the table to retrieve
the administrator’s data. All information about the administrator is stored in this table and it is
available to the administrator alone. The Admin_ID is the primary key and has a unique identity.

24
Table 3.2 Staff

Field Name Field Type Field Length Description

Staff_ID(PK) Int (50) Staff’s unique number which is the primary key

Name Varchar (50) Staff’s full name

Email Varchar ( 20) Staff’s email address which will be used to login

Password Varchar (20 ) Staff’s login password

Image Varchar ( 50) Staff’s personal picture

Table 3.2

The Staff table (Table 3.2): This table is named Staff and it stores information about the Staff in the
pharmacy management system. The system verifies from the table to retrieve the staff’s data. All
information about the staff is stored in this table .The Staff_ID is the primary key and has a unique
identity.

25
Table 3.3 Drug

Field Name Field Type Field Length Description

Drug_ID(PK) Int (50) Drug’s unique number which is the primary key

Category Varchar (50) The type of category the drug belong to.

Drug_Name Varchar ( 50) Drug Name

Size Int (50 ) The size of the specific drug

Price Int ( 50) The cost of the drug

Quantity Int ( 50) The number of the specific drug in stock

Location Varchar (50 ) The location where the drug is in stock

Manufacturer Varchar ( 50) The brand that produced the drug

Production_Date Int (50 ) The date the drug was produced

Expiry_Date Int (50 ) The date the drug will expire

Table 3.3

The Drug table (Table 3.3) : This table is named Drug, it depicts the information of the drugs in the
pharmacy. The table shows information about the drugs in the pharmacy and is being queried from
the database on the drug registration page to show all the drugs for user to select. Drug_ID is the
primary key and has a unique identity.

26
Table 3.5 Sales

Field Name Field Type Field Length Description

Sales_ID (PK) Int (50) Sales unique number which is the primary key

Category Varchar (50) The category of drug sold

Name Varchar ( 50) The name of drug sold

Price Int (50 ) The cost of the drug

Quantity Int ( 50) The quantity of drug sold

Total Price Int ( 50) The total cost of the drug

Discount Int ( 50) The discount of the drug

Sale Price Int ( 50) The amount the drug was sold for.

Manufacturer Varchar ( 50) The name of the drug manufacturer

Production_Date Int ( 50) The date the drug was produced

Expiry_Date Int ( 50) The date the drug will expire

Sales Date Int ( 50) The date the drug was sold

Table 3.5

The Sales table (Table 3.5): This table is named Sales and it stores information about the Sales in
the pharmacy management system. The system verifies from the table to retrieve all the sales data.
All information about the sales in the pharmacy is stored in this table .The Sales_ID is the primary
key and has a unique identity.

27
Table 3.6 Inventory

Field Name Field Type Field Length Description

The unique number which identifies the

ID No (PK) Int (50) drugs in the inventory and it is the primary
key

Category Varchar (50) The category each drug belongs to.

Name Varchar ( 50) The name of each drug

Size Int (50 ) The size of the individual drugs

Price Int ( 20) The price of each drug

Quantity Int (20) The quantity of each drug in stock

Location Varchar (50) The location where the drug is in stock

Manufacturer Varchar (50) The brand that produced each drug

Production Date Int (50) The date each drug was produced

Expiry Date Int (50) The date each drug will expiry

Table 3.6

The Inventory table (Table 3.6): This table is named Inventory and it stores all information
concerning the drugs in the pharmacy. The system verifies from the table to retrieve the inventories
data upon request. All information about the Inventory is stored in this table .The ID_No is the
primary key and has a unique identity.

28
3.6 DATABASE TABLES RELATIONSHIP

In order to show the relationships among the entity sets that are stored in the database, we generally
use the Entity-Relationship Diagram, often abbreviated as ER Diagram. Entity is an object, a
component of data whereas an entity set is a collection of multiple similar entities. These entities
have attributes that delineate its properties. An ER diagram elucidates the logical structure of
databases by defining the entities, their attributes and the relationship between them.

Interrelationship among the Entities (fig 3.1)

Fig 3.1

29
3.7 SYSTEM FLOW CHART

START

SELECT
LOGIN

YES
AS ADMIN? ADMIN
LOGIN

NO

YES STAFF
AS STAFF? LOGIN

NO

NO
EXIT?

YES

STOP

Fig 3.2

30
 CHAPTER 4

4.1 SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

4.2 ANALYSIS OF THE IMPLEMENTED SYSTEM

After the implementation of the pharmacy management system, a study and analysis of the system
was made, where key features of the system, thus; creating an account, logging into the system, and
accessing various modules of the system was made. A registered user of the system can get access to
the dashboard to manage it accordingly. The stuff or administrator could view all the modules
associated to the pharmacy. The administrator can fully access all features of the pharmacy
management system. MySQL was used to create and connect relational tables to the database,
HTML and CSS was used to develop the graphical user interface of the pharmacy management
system whiles PHP was used to develop the backend of the system.

4.3 DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM INTERFACES

The system has produced numerous interfaces and efforts were made to explain the functions of all
the interfaces, including what they ought to achieve and what they have to offer to the end user. The
system was carefully designed in order to make it user friendly. The layout and colors of the
interfaces were chosen based on application of human computer interaction (HCI) principles.

31
4.3.1 ADD ADMIN INTERFACE
The add admin interface (figure 4.1), is the form within the system where the main administrator can
use to add a new administrator to the pharmacy management system. This interface provides text
fields that requires some personal information about the new administrator to enable him/her to log
into and gain access into the system.

Add admin interface (fig 4.1)

Fig. 4.1

32
4.3.2 ADD STAFF INTERFACE

The staff interface (figure 4.2), is the form within the system where the main administrator can use to
add a staff to the pharmacy management system. This interface provides text fields that requires
some personal information about the staff to enable him/her to log into and gain access into the
system.

Add Staff Interface ( fig 4.2)

Fig. 4.2

33
4.3.3 THE LOGIN INTERFACE

The login interface (figure 4.3), is the first to appear at runtime of the pharmacy management system.
It has an input box for accepting the user email and password for logging into the system. The user
can then click on the login button to get access to the system once the credentials are verified.

Login interface ( fig. 4.3)

Fig 4.3

34
4.3.4 DASHBOARD INTERFACE

The dashboard interface (figure 4.4), is the main interface that shows after a user has successfully logged
into the system. This interface provides a brief overview of the essential parts of the pharmacy. The
pharmacist can easily observe the total drugs in stock, the expired drugs, total sales for the day, top
selling drugs for the day and other important metrics about the pharmacy.

Dashboard interface (fig. 4.4)

Fig 4.4

35
4.3.5 ADD DRUG INTERFACE

The add drug interface (figure 4.5), allows the pharmacist to add new drugs in the pharmacy
management system. The pharmacist can add drugs by selecting the manufacturer of the drug, the
type of category the drug belongs to, the location of the drugs, the name of the drug, the drug price,
its quantity and details about the production and expiry dates of the drug.

Add Drug Interface ( fig 4.5)

Fig. 4.5

36
4.3.6 SELL DRUG INTERFACE

The sell drug interface (figure 4.6), enables the pharmacist to sell a drug in the pharmacy
management system. You can sell a particular drug by entering the name of the specific drug in the
input box provided and then selecting the drug you want to sell. You can then specify the quantity of
drugs you are selling and then it will automatically calculate the amount of money the customer is
supposed to pay. At any point in time a drug is sold, it reduces the number of the specific drug
quantity in stock.

Sell Drug Interface ( fig 4.6)

Fig. 4.6

37
4.3.7 THE SALES INTERFACE

This section contains an interface for the sales records (figure 4.7).It contains information about the
details of the type of drug that was sold, the price it was sold for, the production and expiry date of
the drugs, the time and date the specific drug was sold in the pharmacy management system.

Sales interface ( fig 4.7)

Fig 4.7

38
4.3.8 EXPIRING AND EXPIRED DRUGS INTERFACE

The expiring drugs interface (figure 4.8).The interface provides the pharmacist information about
drugs that are about to expire for him/her to be aware. The pharmacist will have information about
the specific drug name, quantity, date of drug expiration and other essential data about the drugs that
are about to expire.

The expired drugs interface. This section of the pharmacy management system provides
information about the drugs in the pharmacy that have expired. Any drug in the inventory that have
expired will automatically move to this interface of the system which will make the drug unavailable
to be sold.

Expiring and Expired Drugs Interface (fig 4.8)

Fig 4.8

39
4.3.9 DRUG NOTICE AND INVENTORY INTERFACE

The drugs notice interface (figure 4.9).At this interface, all the drugs that are almost out of stock are
shown to prompt the pharmacist to avoid running out of stock. At any point in time, the pharmacist
can have access to this information in the pharmacy management system by viewing the drug notice
section.
The inventory interface displays information about all the drugs in the pharmacy. The pharmacist
can have all information relating to the inventory such as the drugs name, the quantity available per
each drug, the production date of the drugs and its respective expiry dates.

Inventory and Drug notice interface (fig 4.9)

Fig. 4.9

40
4.4 USER GUIDE (Manual)
Below are instructions on how to use the pharmacy management system (PMS).
1. Extract the file pharmacy management system and copy pharmacy folder
2.Paste inside root directory of the server(for xampp, xampp/htdocs, for wamp wamp/www folder)
3. Open PHPMyAdmin in the browser and access http://localhost/phpmyadmin
4. Create a database with name pharmacy
5. Import pharmacy.sql file(given inside the zip package in SQL file folder)
6.Run the script http://localhost/pharmacy to launch the pharmacy management system.
7. Now the login interface of the pharmacy management system will launch once the database
connection is established.
8. The user can now login into the pharmacy management system.
9. After a successful login, the user can get access to the dashboard of the pharmacy management
system and then perform all the administrative functions in the system.

4.5 USER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.

In other to run the pharmacy management system, there are some system requirements that must be
met for a successful operation. The hardware requirements are that, a CPU of 1GHZ or higher with a
RAM of 2GB or higher is required. Also, a hard disk with a minimum space of 50 Gigabyte or
higher is required. With the operating system, Windows XP or higher is required to successfully run
the pharmacy management system.

41
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK

5.1 SUMMARY AND FINDINGS

The pharmacy management system would provide effective, efficient, reliable and secure way of
managing the pharmacy. This Pharmacy Management System (PMS), was developed to enable the
pharmacist to retrieve, protect, store and manage data related to the pharmacy. PMS, was developed
purposely to make the task of running a pharmacy easier and faster. PMS was developed using
HTML and CSS for the interface and PHP for the backend with the help of MYSQL Database for the
development of the database system.

5.2 STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM

For security being one of the topmost priorities in developing this pharmacy management system, a
secure and reliable mechanism was implemented during the development stage. The system ensures
that users are authenticated before they are allowed to access the administrative part. Anyone who
tries to access the system with invalid information will be denied access into the pharmacy
management system to avoid any data manipulation. Also, the system was developed in such a way
to have optimum user friendliness. The interfaces are easy to understand without much user-
technical knowledge thereby making the system easy to use without any difficulty or challenge. The
colours and font size that are used in the system were carefully selected according to the knowledge
drawn from human computer interactions (HCI).

5.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE SYSTEM

Considering the advantages this pharmacy management system ought to provide to the end users, the
system cannot send SMS notifications to provide timely alerts to the pharmacist. This application is
limited to internet connected devices therefore without internet connection the user cannot make use
of the system.

42
5.4 WHAT I LEARNT IN DEVELOPING THE SYSTEM

Developing Pharmacy Management System (PMS), has enlighten me not only on the pharmaceutical
industry but also a lot on developing a running software. I gained the knowledge that Drugs are
arranged according to the classification adopted (oral drugs, injectable drugs, infusions, drugs for
external use and antiseptics). Also, No products or packaging, even large-sized, should be stored on
the floor, but on pallets which permit air circulation and protect against humidity. An inventory of
current stock quantities and expiry dates should be done before each new order is received.

In addition to the above, I was exposed to the environment of PHP programming language and how
to use the bootstrap framework to develop responsive interfaces. Developing the system has also
enlightened me on the software methodology cycles that are implemented in the development of a
system. I learnt that the prototype model serves to clarify requirements, which are not clear, hence
reducing ambiguity and improving communication between the developers and users.

5.5 CONCLUSION

The Pharmacy Management System is a system that stores data and enables functionality that
organizes and maintains medication use process within pharmacies. Since this has been designed
exclusively as a project, the challenges that are faced by most pharmacies like keeping track of
expired drugs in the pharmacy are considered in this project. But enhancement to the project can
easily be made without changing the current design and programming structure. Pharmacy
Management System is really essential and beneficial in managing a pharmacy because it will help in
providing accurate, secured, effective, efficient data and other related information to the pharmacist.
The system will also provide easy access to the saved data to the pharmacist when required or
necessary. The application would also help to get rid of all paper work that can get lost or misplaced
in the course of time. Due to the complexity of the system and time constraints allocated for
development there were some functionality that could not be integrated into the system. Example is
the ability to determine the specific staff in the pharmacy that made a sale. The main factor that
motivated me to embark on this project was the mistakes caused by pharmacist due to their workload
when using the manual way. Again, managing a large pharmacy with records on papers will be

43
difficult to keep track of inventories with regards to the drugs in the store, expiry date and quantity of
drugs.

5.6 FUTURE WORK

The initial tasks would be to implement the aspects of functionality that have already been
mentioned that were not incorporated due to time constraints. Some advanced features such as
barcode readers should be integrated in the system for easy stock taking. Also, SMS notification
feature should be implemented in the system to provide the pharmacist with timely notifications and
alerts from the system.

44
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e- ISSN 1857 -7431, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.19044
[5] Goldberg, E., Baardsgaard, G., Johnson, T., Jolowsky, M., Shepherd, M., and Peterson, D. (1991)
Computer based program for Identifying Medications orders requiring Dosage Modification Based
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