Essentials Of Dispensing Flashcards
What are the 3 Rs of pharmacy (3)
1) right medicine
2) right patient
3) right time
Prescribes can be independent and supplementary. List who can be independent and who can be supplementary prescribers. (7, 5)
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
Outline the environmental GPhC standards for registered pharmacies (4)
1) clean and tidy - including all equipment
2) well organises
3) safe
4) smart
Describe the process of dispensing (11)
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
Outline the legal requirements for labelling human medicines (8)
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
Give two examples of medicines where you have to specify the duration of the course on the label (2)
1) antibiotics
2) steroids
What is the use of cautionary and advisory labels (3)
1) recommend additional information for dispensed medicines
2) an addition to counselling
3) BNF section A9 & summary at back
Outline what to look out for when selecting the medicine (5)
1) correct medicine
2) correct strength
3) correct form
4) correct quantity
5) check expiry date
Describe what equipment can be used to count drugs (5)
1) tablet triangle
2) capsule counter
3) electronic counters
4) spatula
5) forceps
Never handle with bare hands
Discuss how and where you would attach the label (4)
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
List the different types of packaging used for dispensing (3)
1) dispensing cartons
2) liquid bottles
3) tablet bottles
Discuss the use of cartons during dispensing (3, 5)
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
Discuss the use of tablet bottles during dispensing (3, 5)
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
Discuss the use of liquid bottles during dispensing (4, 4)
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
List 3 ways of measuring liquids (3)
1) conical measure -most accurate
2) cylinder - most commonly used
3) pipettes/ syringes - for small volumes
Describe how you would safely handle cytotoxics (6)
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
What items are commonly supplied to patients (3)
1) spoons
2) oral syringes
3) bags
List the treatment cards supplied to patients taking certain drugs. (4)
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
Outline the factors affecting users of medicines (3)
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
List the critical information required to safely use a medicine (5)
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
What is tallman lettering?
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
