POMs Flashcards
What is a POM medicine?
Medicine listen in POM Order or classified as POM
When can you only supply a POM?
With a prescription by an appropriate practitioner.
When can POMs be supplied without a prescription?
- Patient Group Directions
- Emergency Supplies
- Patient specific directions in hospitals
What is a prescription also known as?
Patient specific direction
What are the legal requirements for prescriptions for POMs?
- Signed in ink by appropriate practitioner.
- Can be written by carbon paper or similar material.
-> Not for CD schedule 1, 2, 3. - Address of appropriate practitioner
- Appropriate date
- Kind of practitioner giving it.
- Name and address of patient
-> <12, their age - Valid from 6 months from the appropriate date.
- Practitioner must be registered in the UK or approved by health professional in approved country.
True or False: The address of the patient on a legal prescription requires the house number, street/road, town/city, and the postcode.
False. It requires everything apart from the postcode.
True or False: Repeatable prescriptions are NHS prescriptions.
False. Repeatable prescriptions are private prescriptions.
When must the full quantity of POM medicines be supplied by?
Within the legal validity of the prescription so within 6 months of the appropriate date.
What happens if you are unable to supply the full quantity of a POM medicine?
An owing slip for the remainder is given to the patient. The remainder of the supply must be collected by the patient within the legal validity of the prescription
True or False: If a medicine is prescribed by brand name, the brand or generic medication can be supplied.
False. Only the brand product can be supplied, not the generic or the alternative brand.
Which type of prescriptions can be post-dated?
NHS prescriptions, not private prescriptions.
What information is not legally needed on a prescription?
- Name of the practitioner
- Drug name, strength, dose, quantity
What are private prescriptions written on?
Anything as there is not template or form.
What type of prescriptions are overseas prescriptions?
Private prescriptions.
What does the date on a private prescription mean?
The date it was signed.
When are repeats allowed on an FP10?
If it is part of the NHS repeat dispensing.
What is the legal limit on how many repeats a prescriber can request for?
There is no legal limit.
Who keeps the repeat prescriptions during and after the medication has been supplied?
- Patients keep the prescription between repeats.
- Pharmacy who supplies the last repeat must keep the prescription.
What is the prescription for dentists called?
FP10(D)
Which medicines are valid for dental prescriptions ?
If the medicines are in the Dental Practitioners’ Formulary (DPF)
The DPF only contains generic names, can dentists prescribe the branded versions?
Yes.
Private prescriptions can be legally valid for which type of medication?
POM, P and GSL.
True or False: Community practitioner nurse prescribers can prescribe any medication.
False. They can only prescribe a limited range of medicines.
The medicines the Community practitioner nurse prescribers can prescribe can be found where?
In the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary for community practitioners (NPF).
The prescription for Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribers are called what?
FP10P
It is recommended that Community Practitioners Nurse Prescribers only prescribe generically unless..?
- when it is not clinically appropraite
- where there is no approved generic name
When are records not made for POM medicines?
- When it is an NHS/health prescription
- Rx for an oral contraceptive
-> For private prescriptions and in between repeats.
Where are the POM records kept in?
- POM register/ Prescription book
- Electronically
When is an entry made on a POM register?
On the date of the sale/supply.
-> If not reasonably practical, the next day.
How long should POM records be kept for?
For 2 years from the date of the last entry in the book.
Usually kept for as long as possible to maintain patient confidentiality.
How long should POM prescriptions be kept for?
For 2 years from the date of the last sale/supply.
What are the details required for a POM entry?
- Date of the sale/supply
- Name, quantity, pharmaceutical form, strength.
- Date on the prescription
- Name and the address of the prescriber
- Name and the address of the patient
For a POM entry, is the reference number a legal requirement or good practice?
Good practice.
Where is a reference number required for a POM entry?
- POM register
- Dispensing label
- Prescription
Where are NHS prescriptions sent to once it has been dispensed?
Sent to the NHSBSA.
What happens to non-repeatable private prescriptions once it has been dispensed?
The pharmacy keeps it for 2 years.
What happens to repeatable private prescriptions between repeats and after it has been dispensed?
- Between repeats: Patient keeps prescriptions or pharmacy can offer to keep hold of it.
- After final repeat has been dispensed: Pharmacy keeps hold of prescription for 2 years from date of last dispensing.
Which types of drugs can you not dispense from FAX?
CD 2 and 3 drugs as it is a criminal offence.
-> Have to dispense these drugs with the original prescription.
Can photos/emails of prescriptions be dispensed?
No as they are not legally valid. It is not a legal prescription, the original copy is required.
What needs to be checked to know if a prescription is forged?
To check due diligence to believe that the prescription is genuine.
What should happen if a prescription is altered?
It is fraud so the police has to be contacted and the prescriber should also be made aware.
When are non-UK prescriptions legally valid?
When they are issued form an approved healthcare professional from an approved country.
Non-UK prescriptions are issued from an ‘approved country’. What are the approved countries?
EEA countries and Switzerland.
-> EEA countries found in the MEP list.
What are the legal requirements of a Non-UK prescription?
- Patient’s full first name, surname and date of birth.
- Prescriber’s full first name, surname, profession, direct contact details (email address, telephone/ fax number [including international prefix] and work address (including country they work in)
- Name of medicine, pharmaceutical form, strength, dose, quantity.
- Prescriber’s signature
- Date of issue.
Which medicines cannot be prescribed for non-UK prescriptions?
CDs schedule 1, 2 + 3 and products without UK marketing authorisation.
What needs to be checked of the prescriber on non-UK prescriptions? What if it can’t be checked?
Need to check the registration status. If it cannot be confirmed, ‘due diligence’.
True or False: You don’t have to dispense a non-UK prescription.
True. Only if you have any doubts or concerns - legal/clinical. However, you do have to help the patient in some other way.
Can POMs be administered to patients?
- Unlawful to administer a parenteral POM unless you are an appropriate practitioner.
- They can if it is to save a life in the case of an emergency.
- No legal restrictions of administration of non-parenteral POMs
