How should access by personnel to medicine storage areas be effectively controlled?

Access control in medicine storage areas is essential to safeguard medicines and prevent unauthorised access. An effective access control system should combine physical barriers with procedural controls. Physically, all entrances to storage areas should be locked and access restricted to authorised personnel. An electronic access control system (such as card or fingerprint access) is recommended instead of traditional keys. Electronic systems can assign different access permissions to each employee and generate detailed entry and exit records. Procedurally, a written Access Control Procedure must specify which roles have access and under what circumstances they may enter. Visitors, maintenance personnel and contractors, as well as other unauthorised persons, must be accompanied at all times by an authorised employee, and their identity, reason for visit, and entry and exit times must be recorded in a Visitor Register.