OCR Technology for Streamlined Sanitary Control Share: ABTO Software Date Published 20 September 2022 Categories Blog Reading Time 4-Minute Read OCR software can reduce both time-to-market and expenses. The faster the monitoring and reaction, the better the productivity. Providing appropriate sanitary conditions is an essential practice for strategic pharmaceutical manufacturers. This operation necessarily includes the disinfection of premises and equipment, as well as the maintenance of accompanying documentation. For strategic pharmaceutical companies, OCR technology is one of the best ways to optimize sanitary control. With the help of optical character recognition software, pharma companies can significantly reduce standard, paper-based bureaucracy, provide for more thought-out workload distribution, and accordingly increase their overall profitability. Ensuring appropriate sanitary control: The challenge In order to comply with functionary production requirements, pharmaceutical manufacturers must prioritize the provision of appropriate sanitary conditions, namely cleaning and disinfection of premises and equipment. This practice is mandatory for every pharma company to avoid reputational and financial losses, and involves the allocation of considerable human resources and costs. The performed disinfection measures must be always accompanied by mandatory supporting documentation. Such documentation is traditionally paper-based, handwritten, and comprehensive as it must contain numerous parameters. To comply with national production requirements, pharma organizations utilize programs and consumables. And considering the need for regular, day-to-day inspections, it is quite resource-intensive. Clearly, no pharma company can afford to skimp on sanitary measures and neglect legislative regulations. However, to save resources, they can optimize processes associated with routine record-keeping. The solution To avoid paper documentation and the accompanying risks, we suggest implementing custom OCR software. Such optimization of repeated day-to-day routines might simplify data entry, data accessibility and sharing, analytics, reporting, and more. The utilization of tailored optical character recognition software can reduce both time-to-market and expenses. The faster the monitoring and reaction, the better the cooperation between departments and productivity. Maintaining records in accordance with the legislative regulations Ensuring appropriate sanitary control is a preventive measure that affects the quality of the finished product. To avoid financial and reputational losses, and ensure the safety of the end consumer, disinfection practices must comply with numerous state standards. Efficient maintenance practices ensure: Accurate records Easily accessible, up-to-date information Corresponding statuses Instant viewability The so-called critical documentation includes routine production dossiers (processing and packaging records). Those certify that all planned processes are performed strictly according to the national requirements. Proper documentation includes information associated with the cleaning and disinfection of every single area. It is equally important to prepare each zone — the buffer or so-called clean area, front area, compounding area, and other work areas. The preparation of the production premises and equipment must be done at the beginning of each work shift. The process commonly includes the sanitization of ceilings, walls, floors, sinks, drains, carts, shelves, and more. All procedures must be carried out in accordance with the following standards: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) cGMP 21 CFR 211 – USP <1072> Disinfectants and Antiseptics – USP <1075> Good Compounding Practices – USP <795> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Non-sterile Preparations – USP <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations Guidance Documents (Pharmacy Compounding) OCR technology to streamline sanitary control Maintaining records on all operational processes performed every day, week, and month is resource-intense. Common difficulties include issues such as personnel overload, untimely execution of the mandatory routines, inaccurate records, and more. Accompanying documentation must be: Approved, signed and dated Regularly reviewed Kept up-to-date Clear, legible and unambiguous OCR technology can help optimize processes and maintain appropriate records by allocating fewer resources. This means fewer risks, more insights, and, accordingly, improved profitability. Implementing tailored OCR technology is the best way to reduce or eliminate reputational and financial losses. Timely completion of all mandatory procedures, data validity, and custom-predefined immediate notifications can facilitate the assessment of overall environmental control. Summing up AI object recognition technology fundamentally transforms the way pharmaceutical businesses function. With the help of AI-based solutions, operational processes, such as sanitary control, are conducted way faster, more accurately, and also more efficient in terms of productivity and profitability. The automation of routine data management: Eliminates inefficient resource allocation Provides instantly accessible critical information Opens up numerous opportunities for revision and development Simplifies assessment Improves cooperation between departments Guarantees validity of the gathered information Reduces risks Increases profits What we say is, that despite the potential challenges of adopting OCR technology, the numerous business benefits are totally worth it!