Essentials Of Dispensing

Question 1

What are the 3 Rs of pharmacy (3)

Answer 1

1) right medicine
2) right patient
3) right time

Question 2

Prescribes can be independent and supplementary. List who can be independent and who can be supplementary prescribers. (7, 5)

Answer 2

Independent

1) doctors
2) pharmacists
3) independent nurse prescriber
4) dentists
5) vets
6) optometrists
7) physiotherapists

Supplementary

1) pharmacists
2) nurses
3) chiropodists/ podiatrists
4) radiographers
5) physiotherapists

Question 3

Outline the environmental GPhC standards for registered pharmacies (4)

Answer 3

1) clean and tidy - including all equipment
2) well organises
3) safe
4) smart

Question 4

Describe the process of dispensing (11)

Answer 4

1) check patient details- name, age, sex , address ect
2) check prescription is legal
3) clinical screen- is it safe for the patient
4) produce a label
5) select medicine
6) select packaging and closure
7) counting
8) insert into packaging
9) attach label
10) check your work and bag it up
11) give out and counsel patient

Question 5

Outline the legal requirements for labelling human medicines (8)

Answer 5

1) name of patient
2) name and address of suppliers I.e the pharmacy
3) date dispensed
4) keep out of reach and sight of children
5) name, strength and formulation of medicine
6) directions for use
7) “for external use only” when appropriate
8) cautionary and advisory labels

Question 6

Give two examples of medicines where you have to specify the duration of the course on the label (2)

Answer 6

1) antibiotics

2) steroids

Question 7

What is the use of cautionary and advisory labels (3)

Answer 7

1) recommend additional information for dispensed medicines
2) an addition to counselling
3) BNF section A9 & summary at back

Question 8

Outline what to look out for when selecting the medicine (5)

Answer 8

1) correct medicine
2) correct strength
3) correct form
4) correct quantity
5) check expiry date

Question 9

Describe what equipment can be used to count drugs (5)

Answer 9

1) tablet triangle
2) capsule counter
3) electronic counters
4) spatula
5) forceps

Never handle with bare hands

Question 10

Discuss how and where you would attach the label (4)

Answer 10

1) make sure it’s straight and legible
2) do not cover important information e.g expiry dates , storage instructions, warnings
3) may need to flag label for dropper bottles
4) attach label to inner product and out box when appropriate

Question 11

List the different types of packaging used for dispensing (3)

Answer 11

1) dispensing cartons
2) liquid bottles
3) tablet bottles

Question 12

Discuss the use of cartons during dispensing (3, 5)

Answer 12

1) most common form of packaging
2) usually white/cream cardboard
3) variety of sizes

Use:

1) choose suitable size
2) avoid cutting blister strips
3) less suitable for very small number of tablets
4) affix label on large flat aspect, make sure it’s straight
5) wrap ampoules and vials for protection

Question 13

Discuss the use of tablet bottles during dispensing (3, 5)

Answer 13

1) Amber plastic or glass
2) variety of sizes
3) closures- plain tops or child resistant closure( CRC/ clic loc)

Use:

1) make sure product is appropriate for going into a bottle
2) choose suitable size
3) check suitable for use- no chips etc
4) choose appropriate closure
5) affix label , make sure it’s straight

Question 14

Discuss the use of liquid bottles during dispensing (4, 4)

Answer 14

1) usually Amber glass
2) closures- plain top or CRC
3) smooth - infernal liquids
4) ribbed - external liquids

Use:

1) choose suitable size
2) check suitable for use - no chips etc
3) choose appropriate closure
4) affix label

Question 15

List 3 ways of measuring liquids (3)

Answer 15

1) conical measure -most accurate
2) cylinder - most commonly used
3) pipettes/ syringes - for small volumes

Question 16

Describe how you would safely handle cytotoxics (6)

Answer 16

1) Toxic to you so handle with extreme care
2) never touch with bare hands
3) use dedicated counting equipment
- triangle/ capsule counter
- forceps/spatula
4) transfer to container as soon as possible
5) clean counter before and after use
6) discard waste carefully

Question 17

What items are commonly supplied to patients (3)

Answer 17

1) spoons
2) oral syringes
3) bags

Question 18

List the treatment cards supplied to patients taking certain drugs. (4)

Answer 18

1) steroid card - treatment must not be stopped suddenly
2) Oral anticoagulant therapy booklet
3) lithium therapy information booklet, lithium therapy record book & lithium record card
4) methotrexate treatment blood monitoring and dosage record booklet

Question 19

Outline the factors affecting users of medicines (3)

Answer 19

1) information : vital for safe use
2) format: legible and easily understood
3) style : potential for confusion Between both similarity in drug names and similarity in medicines packaging

Question 20

List the critical information required to safely use a medicine (5)

Answer 20

1) name of the medicine - found on 3 sides of the pack
2) expression of strength (where relevant)
3) route of administration
4) posology
5) warnings

• to appear in same field of view

Question 21

What is tallman lettering?

Answer 21

TallMan lettering is the practice of writing part of a drug’s name in upper case letters to help distinguish sound-alike, look-alike drugs from one another in order to avoid medication errors

cefaCLOR vs cefpODOXime