Evaluating the Impact of Pharmacy Technician Role Expansion on Dispensing Efficiency and Pharmacist Clinical Workload in a Saudi Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Background:In busy tertiary care pharmacies, ensuring both speed and safety in medication dispensing is paramount. One promising strategy is to broaden the responsibilities of pharmacy technicians—allowing them to take on tasks traditionally handled by pharmacists. Although this approach has shown benefits elsewhere, evidence from Saudi Arabia’s tertiary hospitals remains scarce.Objective:This study explores how expanding the scope of pharmacy technician duties affects two critical outcomes in a major Saudi tertiary hospital: (1) the efficiency of the dispensing process and (2) the workload of pharmacists.Methods:We conducted a twelve month, retrospective comparative analysis encompassing two phases: before role expansion (January–June 2023) and after role expansion (July–December 2023). Quantitative measures—average turnaround time per prescription, number of prescriptions processed per shift, and dispensing error rates—were extracted from the hospital’s electronic records and analyzed in SPSS v.26. To capture staff experiences, we carried out semi structured interviews with pharmacists and technicians and performed thematic analysis in NVivo 12.Results:Following the role expansion, the average turnaround time fell from 18.5 to 12.3 minutes (p=0.004), while prescriptions processed per shift rose from 220 to 295 (p=0.001). Importantly, dispensing errors also declined significantly (2.1% vs. 1.2%, p=0.008). Qualitative insights highlighted smoother workflows, greater technician autonomy, and more opportunities for pharmacists to engage in clinical activities rather than routine dispensing tasks.Conclusion:Empowering pharmacy technicians to assume enhanced dispensing duties led to clear improvements in operational efficiency and a measurable reduction in pharmacist workload. These findings underscore the value of developing standardized training programs and clear policy frameworks—steps that would support wider adoption of expanded technician roles across Saudi Arabia in alignment with Vision 2030.