Pharmacy Lecture 5: Handling Prescriptions

Lecture 5: Handling the Prescription

• Procedures for handling prescriptions for compounding and dispensing
  • Receiving
  • Reading and checking
    • Legality
    • Legibility
    • Completeness and correctness
  • Collecting and weighing materials
  • Compounding, labeling, and packaging

Receiving

• Pharmacist should receive the prescription
• Avoid displaying confusion or surprise to the patient

Reading and Checking

• Legality:

  • Prescription written/typed by a registered medical practitioner (R.M.P.)
  • Signed by the R.M.P.
  • Includes all required information

• Legibility:

  • Handwriting clarity is important
  • Similar-named drugs (e.g., Prednisone and Prednisolone) require confirmation
  • If illegible, contact the physician

• Completeness and Correctness:

  • Check for physician details
  • Validate patient details
  • Verify product details (name, dosage form, strength, amount, availability, directions, frequency)

Collecting and Weighing the Material

• Gather all required materials from shelves/drawers, keep on left side of the balance
• After measuring, keep materials on the right side
• Return materials to the correct shelves/drawers
• Verify container labels three times during the process

Compounding, Labeling, and Packaging

• One prescription at a time, on a clean table
• Clean and dry all equipment
• Compounding according to physician instructions or pharmacopeia
• Filled in suitable containers
• Appropriate labels based on quantity and use
• Explain administration, directions, and storage to patient

Source of Errors in Prescription

• Legibility: Handwritten prescriptions may be hard to read, poor clarity/leveling, misspelled drug names (as in Metrix/Metriz)

• Checking: Insufficient personnel to double-check all medications

• Too many customers: Dispensers may not have enough time for proper handling due to high customer volumes

• Lack of concentration: Dispensers not focused on prescription details

• Too many phone calls/social media: Keep devices turned off during work hours for better focus

Care Required in Dispensing Procedure

• Proper dosage for the specific patient
• Dispensers must have appropriate training/education
• Double-check dosage calculations
• Correct timing for drug intake
• Correct administration method

Care Required in Leveling Dispensed Products

• Check expiration dates before dispensing
• Verify drug names on labels
• Adhere to labeling instructions (e.g., shaking before use)
• Ensure correct administration methods (e.g., avoid swallowing sublingual tablets)