RTPM and your responsibilities
PDL Professional Officers have observed an increase in formal requests for information regarding dispensed medicines from the Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) sections of health departments. In most cases, the request for information is regarding the following issues: Large quantities of monitored medicine dispensed to a single patient over a short period Doses and quantities […]
Prepare for another vaccine in the pharmacy
The approval of the Pfizer Comirnaty Orange Cap (5-11 years) COVID-19 vaccine to be administered by pharmacists from 10 January 2022 offers opportunities and challenges for pharmacists. PDL encourages pharmacists to prepare for this service now and consider the following to minimise risk. Preparation and administration key points Comirnaty (Orange Cap) is a specifically formulated paediatric vaccine provisionally approved by TGA in the 5–11-year-old age range. Comirnaty (Orange Cap) is the […]
Be aware and prepare for expansion of vaccination services
Pharmacist vaccination services are continuing to expand and PDL urges all pharmacists to consider the risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies needed to prevent errors or incidents. Below are some of the most common areas of risk identified by the PDL Professional Officers. 1. Check the patient’s age The inclusion of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine in […]
Top 10 tips to avoid vaccination errors
The PDL Professional Officers are aware of some issues relating to COVID-19 vaccinations administered by community pharmacists. To help minimise the risk of an incident occurring, refer to our tips below. 1. Check the AIR BEFORE vaccinating Always check the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) BEFORE vaccinating to check the patient’s current vaccination status and interval between […]
PDL advice for members providing COVID-19 vaccinations
PDL has previously released Practice Alerts on Covid-19 vaccinations: Vaccinations 2021, on the 13th April discussing policy cover for vaccination services, including COVID-19 vaccines, and PDL Guidance on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine, on the 7th July with advice regarding the administration of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to patients below 60 years of age. The alert sent to PDL […]
Avoid being conned
PDL has observed a recent trend in pharmacists being duped into supplying medication, usually S8 or S4s on fraudulent prescriptions by con artists who are becoming increasingly clever. A common tactic of the fraudsters is to present a forged or altered prescription to a pharmacy after hours or on a weekend. By this action, a […]
The big questions for pharmacists
PDL employs four pharmacist Professional Officers who are available 24/7 for PDL members. From the thousands of calls and emails received every year by the Professional Officers, there are several common questions or themes. The following is a summary of some common themes. For specific advice, contact PDL on 1300 854 838 and speak with […]
Look before you leap!
Look before you leap’ is an old saying to remind someone to think about the consequences before acting-an adage that is applicable to the dispensing process. Are you thinking about your personal dispensing procedure when you work? Are you communicating effectively with your patients? The PDL professional officers receive numerous reports each year involving errors […]
Be alert but not alarmed
It is not surprising that approximately 60% of reports to PDL involve dispensing errors. The PDL Professional Officers collate these reports and identify the sub-categories of dispensing error. The two most frequent error types reported are: Wrong drug supplied Wrong strength supplied of the prescribed drug Causes of these errors include: Incorrect data entry of […]
Dosage administration aids
PDL is aware that most community pharmacies and hospitals supply or encounter dosage administration aids (DAAs). Despite their purpose to enhance compliance and minimise dosage errors, PDL still receives many reports involving incidents and errors relating to the supply of DAAs. Pharmacy owners and employed pharmacists need to be cognisant that this can be an […]
