Hospital pharmacies are very often, and for very obvious reason, on the front lines of health care concerns and issues. A new study from the Bluesight, The State of Hospital Pharmacy Operations, shows that drug shortages remain the most pressing concern (78.3%) for hospital pharmacies.
Following that 58.6% said staffing issues and 34.1% said reducing drug spend rounded out the top three concerns.
The report also notes that the appetite for investing in new technology has declined in 2026. Half of respondents (50.7%) were "very" or "somewhat likely" to implement new pharmacy technology initiatives in the next 12 months, down from 76% last year. Among those unlikely to invest in new technology, 59% cited limited budget as the reason – a jump from only 33% in 2025.
For those who do pursue funding for new technology, clinical outcomes significantly outweigh financial gains. Protecting patient safety remains the undisputed primary driver for budget approval, while revenue generation is viewed as the least influential factor.
Further rankings include:
- Protect Patient Safety: Ranked "most important" by 62.6% of leaders.
- Reduce Costs: Ranked "most important by 17.7% of leaders.
- Increase Regulatory Compliance: Ranked "most important" by 11.8% of respondents.
- Drive Additional Revenue: Ranked "least important" by 41.7% of respondents.
One of the newest technologies to enter the pharmacy space, not unlike everywhere else, is AI. Nearly half of the surveyed professionals (48.5%) now use AI in some capacity – and among those who do, the adoption is well past the experimental stage, says the report. More than 23% respondents said they use AI every day, while 18.8% reported using it every week. This suggests a deep integration into pharmacy workflows.
Of those using AI, communications and reporting, diversion detection, and data synthesis were the top reasons for incorporating the technology. Still, barriers exist. About 32.4% are concerned with accuracy, 28.2% worry about privacy with the same amount worrying about approved tools, and 21.5% of organizations have IT policies that restrict AI use.
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