No half doses in pharmacy ownership
A reminder to pharmacy proprietors of their key responsibilities Meridian Lawyers regularly assists a range of healthcare professionals to understand the legal and professional obligations that attach to their particular profession. Recently, in NSW, we have assisted a number of proprietor pharmacists who have come under close scrutiny by the Pharmacy Council of NSW following […]
Queensland Urinary Tract Infection Pilot program
Pharmacists may be aware of the Urinary Tract Infection Pharmacy Pilot – Queensland (UTIPP-Q) program. The UTIPP-Q program is a research pilot program to investigate the supply of specified antibiotics, without a prescription, by pharmacists working in Queensland QCPP-accredited pharmacies. PDL continues to support the profession and members in the provision of professional services. PDL […]
Top five tips for avoiding errors
1. Compare the millilitres vs milligrams dose Mixtures expressed in mg/ml are frequently implicated in dispensing errors reported to PDL. Examples of mixtures that seem problematic include methadone 5mg/ml, Ordine 10mg/ml and Predmix 5mg/ml. Not uncommonly, a script calling for a Predmix dose of 5mg is dispensed as a dose of 5mls which translates to […]
Incorrect collection of medication
Scenario: Community Pharmacy – present day “Prescription for Mrs Thompson” An elderly woman appears from behind a stand of hand sanitiser. “Are you Mrs Thompson?” “Yes” “Have you had this before?” “Yes” Mrs Thompson disappears out the door (quite rapidly given she is 86 years and 4 months old). Unfortunately, she is not Mrs Thompson, […]
Generic substitution and unauthorised changes to prescriptions
Some pharmacists feel that they can make generic substitutions where it is unauthorised and that they will act without consequence. This is not the case as PDL has assisted numerous pharmacists in the past who have been reprimanded for acting this way. Complaints to pharmacy regulators usually happen in one of two ways; Consumers who […]
Opioid replacement therapy – regulations and adherence
Pharmacists breaching regulations involving opioid replacement therapy (ORT) are quickly referred to the regulators. A recent blitz from NSW Health against pharmacies that provide opioid-replacement services is resulting in members of PDL seeking support in handling regulator inquiries. Penalties such as restrictions on practice for pharmacy owners and employed pharmacists may be involved. These incidents highlight the importance of adhering to current State-based legislation when dealing with all S8 medications, including […]
Another dose of Atropine
Atropine 0.01% eye drops are not commercially available and Atropt 1% should not be supplied. Despite warning its pharmacist members against this error in 2018, PDL continues to receive incident reports relating to the dispensing of Atropine eye drops 1%, when 0.01% was prescribed. The weaker form of atropine eye drops (0.01%) is typically prescribed to children […]
Staged supply
Set rules early The provision of medicines via a staged supply process is common practice in many pharmacies. While the benefits are apparent for the patient, prescribers and pharmacies, there are also challenges for pharmacists responsible for managing the supply process. These challenges may be prevented or better managed through the use of good procedures and clear […]
Concentration confusion
The colder weather sees a predictable increase in the prescribing of prednisolone oral liquid for children. Often these prescriptions are written by after hours or hospital-based doctors and many will be handwritten. As dosages are typically based on the child’s weight, the prescribed dose is frequently written in milliGRAMS instead of milliLITRES. The seasonal increase in prescribing of […]
When yes means no
Over 10% of incidents reported to PDL involve the provision of medication to the wrong patient. The consequence of this error can result in hospitalisation or complaints made to pharmacy regulators who may take action against the pharmacist responsible. The following extracts are taken from incident reports that have recently been filed with PDL and […]
