patient services Flashcards
How long is a prescription valid for?
Prescription is valid for up to 6 months - either from the date on which the prescription was signed, or the date indicated by the prescriber as the date before it should not be dispensed
Note: for private prescriptions the appropriate date is always the date it was signed
Is you suspect a fraudulent prescription who should you report your concerns to?
May require referral to police
NHS counter fraud services
Can health care professionals self prescribe?
It is generally considered poor practice to self-prescribe or to prescribe for persons for whom there is a close personal relationship
NMC advises nurses must no prescribe for themselves but in exceptional circumstances may prescribed for close family/friends.
Can pharmacies refuse patient own medication waste?
No - pharmacies are obliged to accept back unwanted medicines from patients. The pharmacy must sort them into solids, liquids, and aerosols
What colour bin should pharmaceutical non-hazardous waste be disposed of in?
Blue-lidded waste bin
What colour bin should sharps contaminated with non hazardous waste should be disposed of in?
Yellow-lidded sharps bin
What colour bin should cytotoxic medications be disposed of in?
Purple lidded waste container
Which schedule controlled drugs must be destroyed?
All CDs in schedule 2, 3 and 4 (part 1)
Patient safety incidents should be reported to who?
Report to National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) and CQC
What is a root cause analysis?
Pharmacists should carry out a route cause analysis in the event of a patient safety incident. This is a retrospective technique for looking for the underlying cause of a patient safety incident, behind the immediate and obvious cause.
Example RCA tools - ‘the five whys’ or fishbone diagram (useful if there are many factors which contributed to a problem)
Maximum amount of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine that be sold at one time?
It is unlawful to supply a product that contains more than 720mg of pseudoephedrine or 180mg of ephedrine at any one time (without a prescription)
It is unlawful to sell or supply any pseudoephedrine product at the same time as an ephedrine product
What emergency hormonal contraception is available to be supplied OTC?
Levenorgestrel 1500mcg for women over 16 years within 72 hours of sexual intercourse
Ulipristal acetate 30mg within 120 hours (suitable for any women of child bearing age)
Can an advanced supply of EHC be made?
Yes
What is codeine/dihydrocodeine indicated for OTC?
Indiated for short term treatment of acute-moderate pain that is not relieved by paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin alone
All other previous indications including cold, flu, sore throats and minor pain have been removed
What additional warning must be included on the packaging of codeine?
The warning ‘can cause addiction. For three days use only’ must be positioned in a prominent clear position on the front of the pack. In addition both the PIL and packaging must state the indication and that the medicine can cause addiction or headache if used continuously for more than 3 days
Examples of medications recently reclassified from POM to P
Amorlfine nail lacquer Mometasone nasal spray PPIs Orlistat Sildenafil Tamsulosin
How long must private prescriptions be retained for?
Private prescriptions for a POM must be retained for two years from the date of the sale/supply
Private prescriptions for what are exempt from record keeping?
Oral contraceptives
Schedule 2 CDs - separate CD register record has been made
What must be recorded following the supply of a medication against a private prescription?
Supply date: the date of which the medication was supplied
Date on the prescription
Medication details: name, quantity, formulation and strength of medicine supplied
Prescriber name and address
Patient name and address
Requirements for emergency supply at request of a patient
Pharmacist must interview the patient (not always possible - exercise professional judgement)
The POM requested must previously have been used as a treatment and prescribed by a prescriber
Not a CD schedule 1, 2 or 3
Additional labelling requirement - the words ‘emergency supply’ needs to be added to the dispensing label
Maximum duration of emergency supply at request of patient
If for CD schedule 4 or 5 - max five days of treatment
For any other POM maximum 30 days supply (except if original pack cannot be split)
How many responsible pharmacists can there be at one time?
There can be only one responsible pharmacist in charge at any one time, and the pharmacist can only be in charge of one registered premises at any one time
What should the RP notice include?
The RP notice should be clearly visible to patients and the public
It needs to include the name of the RP, GPHC number, the fact that the RP is in charge of the pharmacy at the time
In what format should the pharmacy record be kept?
In writing or electronically
or both forms
