Development and preliminary evaluation of a WeChat mini-program-based mobile pharmacy management assistance system in a Chinese women and Children’s hospital

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Abstract Background Traditional pharmacy management, which relies on paper- and computer-based methods, is often inefficient and inflexible. There is an urgent need to develop support tools to address these challenges. The WeChat mini-program has been applied in multiple fields because it is readily accessible within the WeChat ecosystem. Its use in pharmacy management may support more accessible and flexible workflows. Objective To develop and evaluate a WeChat mini-program-based Mobile Pharmacy Management Assistance System. Methods A Pharmacy Collaboration Team consisting of front-line pharmacists, pharmacy administrators, and one informatics pharmacist was established to collect functional requirements through group discussions. The system was developed as a WeChat mini-program and implemented in routine pharmacy-management practice. After the 3-month implementation period, participating pharmacists were invited to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire included the System Usability Scale, self-reported experience ratings comparing paper-based, computer-based, and mobile management modes, and open-ended feedback. Experience ratings were summarized using medians and interquartile ranges. Differences among the three paired management modes were analyzed using the Friedman test with Bonferroni correction. Results The final version of the system consisted of six modules: shift handovers, drug knowledge base, medication-error recording and analysis, drug-expiry reminders, damaged-drug recording, and medication consultations. Twenty-eight participants were invited to participate, and 27 completed valid questionnaires. The mean System Usability Scale score was 79.54 with a standard deviation of 11.33. The mobile-based mode received higher ratings for accessibility, work data sharing, and update frequency. The most frequently selected liked feature was the convenience of access anytime and anywhere, whereas the least appreciated feature was the limited interface size on mobile devices. Conclusions This single-center exploratory evaluation supports the feasibility and preliminary usability of a WeChat mini-program-based mobile pharmacy management assistance system developed through a multi-role Pharmacy Collaboration Team. The system showed potential advantages in selected self-reported user-experience dimensions among pharmacists. However, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary evidence based on perceived user experience. Larger multicenter studies using objective workflow, data-quality, and medication-management outcomes are needed to evaluate its practical impact further.