Lec 13- SOPs

Question 1

Standard operating procedure

Answer 1

A standard operating procedure specifies in writing what should be done, when, where and by whom

Question 2

What is the purpose of SOPs?

Answer 2

Designed to put in place strategies for risk management and risk minimisation

Question 3

How to prepare SOP?

Answer 3

1. Objectives: what procedure are you trying to achieve?
2. Scope: What areas of work are to be covered?
3. Stages of the process: describe how the task is to be carried out
4. Responsibility: who is responsible for each stage
5. Other info
6. Review: up to date?

Question 4

Benefits of having SOPs

Answer 4

1. Help assure the quality of the service
2. Help ensure that good practice is achieved at all times
3. Enable pharmacists to delegate and may free up time for other activities
4. Help to avoid confusion over who does what
5. Provide advice and guidance to locums and part time staff
6. Useful training tools for new members of staff
7. Provide a contribution to the audit process

Question 5

Problems of paediatric oral liquids

Answer 5

• disguising unpleasant tastes
• achieving dose uniformity
• lack of chemical and physical stability data

Question 6

Alternatives to formulation of oral liquids (3)

Answer 6

• alternative liquid form
• crushing tablets or sprinkling powder into food: hard to ensure all dose has been taken
• tablet dispersion safer but only if tablet and excipients disperse well in water
• oral administration of injection (be aware of bio-availability etc)

Question 7

Fractional doses

Answer 7

Prepared by repacking dosage aliquots of powdered tablets or capsule contents or mixing w a diluent like starch prior to repacking

Question 8

Problems with repacking

Answer 8

• may compromise stability, uniform drug distribution
• time and cost of operation
• inflexibility of dosage

Question 9

pH of when sodium benzoate or benzoic acid are used as preservatives

Answer 9

Less than 5: so active unionised form is predominant

Question 10

Factors reducing effectivenedd of the preservative

Answer 10

• contaminated materials
• chemical degradation
• binding of preservative to suspending agents or tablet excipients
• incorrect storage
• unhygienic use of the final product