Exam I: Prescription Process, Counselling, Clinical Trials Flashcards
Advantages of E-scripts
- Reduction in medication errors
i. e. drug identification, dosage form, drug-drug interactions (warnings pop up for physicians entering E-script) - Doctors can send scripts from smartphone and other devices not just a computer now.
- Increase in medication adherence – physical scripts tend not to make it to the pharmacy as a result of the patient forgets or loses prescription
What part of a script is omitted when sent electronically vs a hardcopy?
Handwritten signature of the authorized prescriber is omitted
CI drugs
- Highly addictive, high potential for abuse.
- No approved medical uses. Illegal, not for prescribing.
- Only can be used in research.
i. e. Heroin, marijuana
CII drugs
- High abuse potential and risk for dependency.
- Approved medical used.
- Generally cannot be refilled.
i. e. Oxycodone, fentanyl, cocaine (for some surgical procedures)
CIII, CIV, CV drugs
Lower abuse potential than C-II but potential is still highly significant.
Generally can be refilled.
Three examples of CIII drugs
Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, testosterone
Why is testosterone a controlled substance?
Its a anabolic steroid that has a risk of being abused
Overuse can cause heart attack, aggression, depression etc.
i.e. Athletes and bodybuilders
Three examples of CIV drugs.
Xanax, valium, tramadol
Three examples of CV drugs.
Robitussin AC, Pregabalin (lyrica), Lomotil
What is the New Jersey Audit Trail requirement?
A NJ regulation requires that the identity of the pharmacist (and P.T.) involved in processing a Rx, be recorded electronically
How are requests for copies of prescriptions handled?
A photocopy must be made and stamped as a copy. Only to be used for information purposes.
How long are prescription kept for?
Scripts filled within 2 weeks must be readily available.
Prescriptions kept for 5 years.
A NJ pharmacy does not have to put the generic and brand name on a prescription label.
True/False
False
NJ requires that the brand name of a generic medication be put on the prescription label
What is an auxiliary label?
Warning label placed on a prescription label by the pharmacist
i.e. “Take with food”, “For external use only”, “May cause drowsiness”
What does the OBRA-90 stand for? How did states respond to this act?
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
States began to mandate DUR and drug counselling
What provisions did the OBRA 90 put in place besides drug counselling?
- Administration of drugs in nursing Homes
- Inpatients right to forgo extraordinary life-sustaining procedures
- Drug prices for Medicare/Medicaid programs
Where did the concept of DUR originate and by what organization?
JCAHO – Joint Commission requirements for hospital Inpatients
What is rDUR, its main goal and what type of pharmacists does this mostly apply to?
Retrospective DUR (rDUR) in intended to improve population health.
Most applicable to pharmacists who work in Governmental agencies (like CMS or State Medicaid agencies) or Managed Care pharmacists working for PBMs or comprehensive health insurance companies
What are the five steps of rDUR?
- Establish standards
- Retrospectively collect data, facilitated by “Big Data” capabilities”
- Analyze the data
- Develop a plan of intervention to improve prescribing patterns
- Implement the plan
This is a fundamental responsibility of all practicing pharmacists.
Most frequent contemporary clinical role that pharmacists have
Prospective DUR (pDUR)
When do pDURs occur?
pDUR occurs before dispensing medication to patients.
First fills and before every refill.
Key components to look out for when conducting a pDUR? (7)
- Therapeutic duplication
- Contraindications
- Drug-drug interactions (DDIs)
- Contact prescriber to address hazardous drug-drug interactions
- Idea dosage regimen? (ie. strength, frequency etc.)
- Drug allergies?
- Patient over or under utilization of drug can be caught during a refill pDUR
What interventions can be made by a pharmacist if they are apprehensive of filling a script?
- Talk to the patient
- Contact physician to address concerns
- Refuse to dispense using clinical judgement.
What is “alert fatigue” in reference to computer generated pDUR alerts?
“Alert fatigue” happens when a pharmacist or physician is so used to overriding alerts that they mistakenly override an alert that is clinically significant.
A mass of alerts causes user desensitization.
What strategies can be implemented within computer-generated pDUR alerts to minimize desensitization?
- Tier alerts (Mild, moderate, severe)
- Some systems may only point out severe alerts
- Some systems require an additional level of override for severe alerts
What are type of alerts can pop up for a computer generated pDUR? (Name top 3, then give 3 additional)
- DDI alerts
- Dose alerts
- Allergy alerts
Duplicate therapy, LASA, diagnostic tests required