Ethics and Practice

Question 1

You are part of a team conducting an audit into how medicines are wasted in your pharmacy. The project has been approved by your organisation’s ethics committee and you are in the process of collecting data. One of the team has left some data containing all the patients’ names and addresses in a central public area.

Which one of the following is the most appropriate action to take in this case?

• immediately tell your line manager
• keep quiet and carry on with the project
• record the incident, but don’t tell anyone
• tell your peers about the incident as you’re worried
• try and persuade your team member to report the incident

Answer 1

Immediately tell your line manager

Question 2

Pharmacists as providers of healthcare are bound by the purpose and principles of clinical governance. As the healthcare professions are being aligned with respect to expectations this area continues to evolve.

Which one of the following is the most suitable description of clinical governance in pharmacy?

• a single event of quality improvement to ensure pharmacy services are enhanced for patients
• having standard operating procedures in place in the pharmacy to ensure that errors do not occur
• only involves pharmacy registrants and no other pharmacy staff as they are not accountable
• recognition and maintenance of good practice, learning from mistakes and improving the quality of pharmacy services provided to patients
• taking accountability and professional responsibility for the patients accessing a service in the pharmacy

Answer 2

Recognition and maintenance of good practice, learning from mistakes and improving the quality of pharmacy services provided to patient

Question 3

You’re providing Locum cover to a community pharmacy where are you have never worked before.

Which of the following details are correct with regards to the responsible pharmacist legislation?

• An entry in the pharmacy record is all that is required to indicate that you are the responsible pharmacist for that day
• The regular staff can open the pharmacy and supply prescriptions which are already made up to patients before you sign in as the responsible pharmacist
• The superintendent pharmacist of the Pharmacy acts as the responsible pharmacist at all times
• You may be absent from the pharmacy for a 90 minute lunch break and two 20 minute coffee breaks during the Pharmacy business hours
• You must only be the responsible pharmacist for one pharmacy at any given time

Answer 3

You must only be the responsible pharmacist for one pharmacy at any given time

Question 4

Your printers have broken down and you need to hand write labels until the engineer arrives.

Which of these instructions are NOT legally required to appear on the label of a prescribed medicine?

• date of dispensing
• Directions for use
• Keep out of reach of children
• Name and address of the supplying Pharmacy
• Name of patient

Answer 4

Keep out of reach of children

Question 5

A woman you did not recognise, comes into the pharmacy to collect a prescription for morphine sulphate and pills for injection for a regular patient.

Which of the following is the most appropriate course of action?

• Ask for evidence of identity from the woman collecting the prescription
• Ask the woman to confirm the name, address and date of birth of the patient
• No action is required as you know the patient well
• Refused to supply of medication, unless you have evidence that the patient has consented to have the medication collected by a proxy
• The woman has a nurses uniform on, so there is no action required

Answer 5

Ask for evidence of identity from the woman collecting the prescription