Pharmacy Dispensing Standard Operating Procedure

Description

All staff who are involved in dispensing prescriptions should have been enrolled in a dispensing course. In the event that a trained staff member consistent makes errors in dispensing they should be considered for further training via the “Error Reduction Course” presented on the HubNet.io.

In general, the following procedure should be adhered to:

Ensure the medicine matches the prescription – a pharmacist must take reasonable steps to ensure that the dispensing of a medicine in accordance with a prescription or order is consistent with the safety of the person named in that prescription or order. In dispensing a prescription, a pharmacist has to exercise independent judgment to ensure the medicine is safe and appropriate for the patient, as well as that it conforms to the prescriber’s requirements. If there is any doubt, the prescriber is to be contacted. In conforming to the above principle, dose, frequency and route of administration, duration of treatment, the presence or absence of other medicines, the patient’s illness, medication history, and other relevant circumstances need to be taken into account.
Dispensing multiple repeat prescriptions at one time – the simultaneous supply of multiple quantities of a particular medicine (i.e. the supply of multiple repeats at once) may not be in accordance with the prescriber’s intention and is contrary to good pharmaceutical practice.
Facsimile and scanned prescriptions – a pharmacist may dispense a prescription transmitted by facsimile or scanned copy in accordance with the guidelines. A pharmacist, who has taken reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the prescription is bona fide, may dispense a prescription transmitted by facsimile or scanned copy in advance of receiving the original prescription. An original prescription must still be obtained and retained in accordance with poisons legislation.
Internet, mail-order dispensing and other indirect supply of medicines – (see distance selling SOP folder on hubnet.io).
Incident reporting – (see Errors, Interventions and Complaints SOP folder on hubnet.io) incidents, or other noncompliances, including complaints of a noncommercial nature arising both within and external to the pharmacy, may be the subject of investigation. Pharmacists should therefore follow a risk management procedure, including appropriate record keeping.
Pharmacists are to label dispensed medicines in accordance with any statutory provisions should ensure:
maximising the benefits of the therapy
improving the patient’s understanding of the treatment
enhancing compliance
minimising adverse effects.
Counselling patients about prescribed medicines – patients have the right to expect that the pharmacist will counsel them privately about their medicines, but the patient reserves the right not to be counselled. The pharmacist should make every effort to counsel, or to offer to counsel, the patient whenever a medicine is supplied. Patient counselling is the final checking process to ensure the correct medicine is supplied to the correct patient.
Pharmacists should ensure that the individual workloads under which they operate are at reasonable and manageable levels to:

ensure the safety of the patient
provide an appropriate pharmaceutical service in an accurate, professional and timely manner
cope with fluctuations in workflow.
Patients’ unrealistic expectations in relation to the time taken to dispense the prescription, or the need to meet imposed maximum prescription waiting times are considered not conducive to the provision of such a service.
Pharmacist owners and managers are to have in place suitable quality-assurance systems and procedures for the management of pharmacist workload.