Pre -dispensing Activities
Check the following:-
The room, shelves and dispensing
counter are clean and organized
Wear a clean and white gown
Attach your identification tag on the
gown in such a way that it is visible to
clients
Availability dispensing aid,(counting
try, labeling materials, packaging
materials, sufficient no of spoons etc).
2
6
Cont…
Availability updated drug list, OTC list
,good dispensing manual, STG,
formulary ,prescription registration
book.
2
7
Reception
As clients come into the pharmacy
section, they must be made to feel
attended to and comfortable by:
Friendly gestures
A smile
Eye-to-eye contact
A friendly welcome
Politeness
Feeling of caring
NB. Verbal request can be done only for OTCs with
justification.
2
8
Arrangement of medicines
Medicines should be arranged on
shelves made of steel or treated wood
and the shelves should be strong and
robust. Health institutions and
medicine retail outlets can use one or
a combination of the following
commonly used methods of medicine
arrangement:
1. Pharmacotherapeutic category
2. Alphabetical order by generic name
3. Dosage forms
2
9
In arranging medicines, the following
points should be considered:
•Each dosage form of medicine is
arranged in separate and distinct
areas
• Sufficient empty space should
demarcate one medicine or dosage
form from another.
• Put medicine in well ventilated ,dry
and place protected from direct sun
light and heat.
3
0
Cont…
• Store liquids in a pallet on the floor or
on the lowest shelf.
• Do not store anything directly on the
floor.
• Always store cold-chain items in the
refrigerator.
3
1
SAQ-05
3
2
The prescriber prescribes a
combination of amoxycillin and
clavulanate and mentions the dose as
take 5ml twice a day. It is available as
Amoxicillin 125mg+ Clavulanic acid
31.25mg and Amoxicillin 200mg+
Clavulanic acid 28.5mg. Which one to
dispense?
In this case the pharmacy professional
has to be sure about which
preparation to dispense. The best
option would be to consult the
Con…
What to do?
If the strength is not stated on the
prescription, mostly it may be
necessary to contact the prescriber for
confirmation of the appropriate
strength.
3
3
Expiry date
Remember if the expiry date of a
product is labeled as July 2011, then
the product can be used until the end
of July 31st 2011. In case the duration
of therapy or total quantity to be
dispensed is not mentioned, it will be
necessary to contact the prescriber.
3
4
LEARNING OUTCOME two
Processing prescription and medication
order
3
5
SAQ-02
2. The main part of prescription order,
contains the name and prescribed
ingredients or drugs
Subscription
Inscription
Subscription
All
4
5
SAQ-03
3. A part of prescription that comprises
direction to pharmacist
Signature
Subscription
Inscription
Superscription
4
6
SAQ-04
4. One of the following prescription
information are used to adjusting of the
dose of the drugs
Sex
Age
Address
Diagnosis
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7
2.3. COMPONENT PARTS OF THE
PRESCRIPTION
Theprescriptionconsistsofsevenparts
1.date
Herewrittenare:thenameandthesurnameofthe
doctor,thehospital,clinicorpolyclinicmedical
center,theiraddress,andthedate.
Thedateisimportantforascertainingor
determiningthelifeoftheprescription.
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8
Example
Theprescriptionofnarcoticsandcontrolled
substancesaregovernedbyspeciallawsand
regulations–itcannotbefilledaftermorethan
30daysfromthedateofissuance
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9
4. SUBSCRIPTION
In this part are written, if necessary, instructions to
the chemist such as
how to make the preparation(extemporaneus)
Total quantity to be dispensed
the number of doses, or dosage forms to be
supplied to the patient.
Exampe: Rx./ Paracetamol tab 500 mg
Da scatulam № 2 ( D. scat. №2 ) = Give 2
blisters
5
2
2.4. JUSTIFICATION FOR VARIOUS
PARTS
OF A PRESCRIPTION
Aprescriptionhasvariousparts;someof
them“mandatoryandsomeofthem
thoughnotmandatory,importantfor
betterunderstandingoftheprescription
bythepharmacistandthepatientalso.
Thejustificationmayarisefrom
rationality,legality,practicalityor
situationalrealities.
Thesevariousaspectsarediscussed
below
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8
A. Details pertaining to the prescriber
Prescribers 's full name
Why needed?
Toauthenticatetheprescriptionbefore
dispensing.Theprescriptionisalegaldocument.
Itcanbeusedinthecourtoflaw.
Legal Requirement? –yes
What happens if missing?
Thepharmacypersonnelwillbeindilemma
whethertheprescriptionisgenuine.Ifthe
prescriptionisfromahospital,itisnotknown
whichofthefacultydoctorshasprescribedit.
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9
A. Details pertaining to the prescriber….
Doctor's details such as address,
Consultation timings, telephone/Contact
numbers printed on the letterhead
Why needed?
Helps the patient as well as the
Pharmacist to contact the doctor in case of
discrepancies and doubts Over
prescription
Legal Requirement? –yes
What happens if missing?
The prescription cannot be dispensed
unless the query is resolved
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0
A. Details pertaining to the prescriber….
Doctor'sQualificationprintedonthe
letterhead.
Whyneeded?
Forverifyingtheauthenticityofthedoctor
LegalRequirement?–yes
Whathappensifmissing?
Thepatientmayenduptakingmedicines
prescribedbyunauthorizedpersonnel
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1
A. Details pertaining to the prescriber….
Doctor's full Signature and date,both in
blue indelible ink.
Why needed?
for verifying the authenticity of the doctor
and ,to avoid misuse of blank prescription
pads.
LegalRequirement?–yes
Whathappensifmissing?
If the prescription has been typed or
printed, the Pharmacy personnel cannot
confirm that it is the doctor who has
actually prescribed the medicine.
6
2
A. Details pertaining to the
prescriber….
Date of prescribing
Why needed?
To know the validity of Prescription and to
avoid Unnecessary refilling of the
prescription.
Legal Requirement? –yes
Whathappensifmissing?
Pharmacy personnel cannot identify an
old Prescription brought for refill; and in
many cases not advisable..
6
3
A. Details pertaining to the
prescriber….
Rx superscription
Why needed?
This is a matter of practice..
Legal Requirement? –no
Whathappensifmissing?
None
6
4
B. Details pertaining to MEDICINES
Name of medicine
Why needed?
handwriting,andtoomanyconfusing,
similargeneric&brandnamescause
difficultiesinthePharmacyPharmacists
haveproblems
Legal Requirement? –yes
Whathappensifmissing?
Chances of errors during dispensing can
increase.
6
5
B. Details pertaining to MEDICINES
Strengthorpotencyofmedicine
Whyneeded?
Manymedicinesareavailableinvarying
potencies,andunlesspotencyiscorrectly
writtenthepharmacistcannotdispensethe
correctmedicine.
LegalRequirement?–yes
Whathappensifmissing?
Itbecomesdifficultforthepharmacytodecide
which
Particularstrengththedoctorintendedto
prescribe.
Thiscoulddelaythetreatment
6
6
B. Details pertaining to MEDICINES
Dosage form
Why needed?
Unlesscorrectdosageformiswritten,the
pharmacistoftenisinadilemmawhich
particularonetogive,becauseattimes,
medicinesareavailableindifferentformsE.g.
caportablet,orsyrupetc.
A dosage form suitable for one patient may not
be suitable for another. For example a child
may require a syrup form rather than a tablet.
Legal Requirement? –yes
6
7
Whathappensifmissing?
Pharmacy has to do guesswork often
the pharmacist is not available for
making a decision
6
8
B. Details pertaining to MEDICINES
Dosage & dosing instructions
Why needed?
Patientneedstoknowthequantityof
tablets/cap/liquid&numberoftimesthe
medicineneedstobetaken.
Thepharmacistcanalsocounselthepatient.
Legal Requirement? –yes
1.Dose The amount of medicine to be taken
taken, or given, at one time.
2.The sum of doses may be the dosage or the
total dose.
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9
What happens if missing?
Patientisconfusedwhatdosetotake
andhowoften.
Whatthepharmacymaysuggestmay
notalwayscoincidewithwhatthedoctor
hadinmind.
Also,thepharmacistcannotpredictthe
doseinallcases,sinceitisbasedon
diagnosisorextentofdisease/ailment.
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0
Total quantitiy
Why needed?
Avoid ambiguity for both patient and the
pharmacist as to the quantity to be
dispensed.
Prevent patients from using more/less of
the medicine.
Legal Requirement? –yes
What happens if missing?
This leaves the Prescription open for
Repeat purchase with no controls
7
1
3. Details pertaining to PATIENT
Patient's Full Name
Why needed?
For proper Identification of a patient.
Legal Requirement? –yes
What happens if missing?
If the name is absent, it cannot be linked
to a Particular patient with certainty.
There is room for error
7
2
3. Details pertaining to PATIENT
Patient's age, weight
Why needed?
Useful Information especially for
children for whom dosage is based on
body weight
It acts as a safety measure against
dosage errors .
Legal Requirement? –No
What happens if missing?
Maymake it difficult for the pharmacy to
confirm the medication.
7
3
3. Details pertaining to PATIENT
Patient's address and Telephone number
Why needed?
Essentialforfollow-upofpatient,ortoget
intouchwiththepatient,especiallyincase
ofprescribingorDispensingerrors.
Legal Requirement? –No
What happens if missing?
Difficulttotracethepatientincaseofa
dispensingproblem/error.
Writing the address on the cash memo is a
Legal requirement.
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4
3. Details pertaining to PATIENT
Patient's Sex
Why needed?
Importantforpharmacisttoknow/assess
Appropriatenessforpatient,particularlyinview
ofillegiblehandwritingorConfusinglysimilar
names.
Specialprecautionsarerequiredinpregnancy
andbreastfeeding.
Legal Requirement? –No
What happens if missing?
MedicinesforGynecologicalproblemsare
Obviouslyunsuitableformalepatients.
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5
7
6
7
7
2.5. Types of prescription
papers
1.Standard drug prescription paper
Is a prescription paper for regular
(normal) use drugs ( i.e drugs that are
not narcotic or psychotropic)
e.g of drugs
Antiinfectives
Cardiovascular drugs
Drugs acting on autonomic nervous
system,etc
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8
Types of prescription papers …
2.Narcoticdrugsprescriptionpaper
isaprescriptionthatcontainsthe
followingnarcoticdrugs
Codeine Phosphate
Fentanyl
Morphine 5.
Pethidine
Methadone
Others if present
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9
Types of prescription papers …
3. psychotropic drugs prescription paper
is a prescription that contains the
following psychotropic drugs
Alprazolam
Pentobarbitone
Chlordiazepoxide
Phenobarbitone
Clonazepam
Temazepam
Diazepam
Other combination drugs containing
Medazepam controlled psychotropic substances
8
0
Over-the-counter medicines( OTC):
Medicines that can be dispensed
without prescription
8
1
Common Frequencies Abbreviations:
daily (qd)
every other day (q.o.d)
BID/b.i.d. (Twice a Day)
TID/t.id. (Three Times a Day)
QID/q.i.d. (Four Times a Day)
QHS (Every Bedtime)
Q4h (Every 4 hours)
Q4-6h (Every 4 to 6 hours)
QWK (Every Week)
8
3
Table P9 Abbreviations commonly used in prescriptions
abbreviation Latin Meaning
ac ante cibum before meals
ad lib ad libitum freely, as desired
agit. ante us agitaante usum shake before taking
alt hor alternishoris every other hour
bid bisin die use twice a day
c Cum With
gtt Guttae Drops
od omnidie RightEar
oh omnihora every hour
om omnimane every morning
on omninocte every night
pc post cibum after eating
po per os by mouth
prn pro re nata use as needed
qd quaquein die use every day
qh quaquehora use every hour
qid quaterin die use four times a day
ql quantum libet as much as desired
s Sine Without
sig Signa Label
soln Solutio Solution
tab Tabella Tablet
8
4
2.7. UNITS OF MEASUREMENT
USED IN THE PRESCRIPTION
Thestrengthofthedrugsshouldbewritteninmetric
units.
Quantitiesofdrugsaremeasuredingrams,
milligrams,andmicrograms.
Thegram(g)isthebasicunitofweightinthemetric
system.
Oneone-thousandthofagramis1milligram(mg).
Oneone-thousandthofamilligramis1microgram
(μg)or1mcg.Onethousandgramsisonekilogram
8
5
s
Dispensing
process
Recording
transaction
Receive &
validate
prescription
Understand and
interpretation of
prescription
Selection and
manipulation of
medicine
Labeling &
packaging of
medicine
Provision of
information
and
instruction
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0
Six major steps (activities) of dispensing
process include
1.Receive and validate prescription
2.Understand and interpret prescription
3.Select appropriate medicine/item
4.Label and packaging of medicine
5.Issue the drug to the patient with clear
instruction and advice
6.Record the actions taken
9
1
step 2. Understand and interpret……
III. Completeness of prescription
Details to be checked for completeness of the
prescription
A. Seal of the health institution or header
B. Prescriber’s details (Name of prescriber’s,
Qualification, Signature andDate )
C. Patient's details (Patient Name, Patient
Address, Sex, Age, Weight and Diagnosis)
D. Medicine details
1
0
0
C) Strength/potency of the medicine
check that the strength is mentioned.
There may be cases for prescribers to prescribe the
medicine without the strength.
Forexample:
Amlodipine 5mg……………………… ..Correct way
Amlodipine…………………………… ...Incorrect way
What to do?
Ifthestrengthisnotstatedontheprescription,
mostlyitmaybenecessarytocontacttheprescriber
forconfirmationoftheappropriatestrength.ssss
1
0
5
Examples–
Aspirin is not recommended for
children below 12 years of age
Atenolol is contraindicated in asthma.
Tretinoin contraindicated in pregnancy
1
0
9
VI.Correctlyperformanycalculationsofdoseand
thequantitytobeissued
VII. Appropriateness of the individual
Confirm that the dose and duration of prescribed
medicine are in the normal range for the patient
(noting sex and age or weight)
VIII.CallthePrescriber(verifytheprescription)
Ifanydetailsareillegible,missingorincomplete,
thispreventsanymistakes/errorswhiledispensing.
1
1
1
PRESCRIPTION PAPER Code: 0124
InstitutionName:Bole17HealthCenterTel.No011552---
Patient’sfullName:HanaMetasebiaSex:FAge:29Weight:68Card
No.10964/03Region:A.ATown:A.AWoredaBoleKebele17HouseNo.
6245 Tel.No:09123…. Inpatient Outpatient
Diagnosis,ifnotICD:Osteomyelitis,VaginalCandidiasis,
Prescriber’s
Full name
TaddessessTilahu
Registration 661/2003
Signature (signed)
Qualification HO
Dispenser’s
Marta Tarekegn
Druggist 772/1998
Date: May 7, 2012
1
1
2
Summary of step two
Thepharmacypersonnelshould
checkthelegalityofprescription
checkthelegibilityofprescription
Checkthecompletenessprescription
Detailstobecheckedforcompletenessof
theprescription
Sealofthehealthinstitutionorheader
Prescriber’sdetails(Name ofprescriber’s,
Qualification,SignatureandDate)
Patient'sdetails(PatientName,PatientAddress,Sex,
Age,WeightandDiagnosis)
Medicinedetails
1
1
3
Correctly Interpret any abbreviation
Correctly perform any calculations of dose
and the quantity to be issued
Check appropriateness of the individual
verify the prescription by calling the
Prescriber
1
1
4
Step 3: Selection
and manipulation
of the medicine
1
1
5
Case study 2.2.
The pharmacy professional received a
prescription with the following
information:
Tabs Ibuprofen 400mg
Mitte 60
One t.i.d.
The pharmacy professional dispensed 60
tablets of ibuprofen 400mg.and wrote a
label that the patient should take three
tablets daily with or after food. Comment
on dosage
1
3
0
Step 5:
The provision of information and instruction
to client
1
3
1
e.g Patients should also be informed
not to stop treatment when side
effects occur or in the absence of
response without consulting the
prescriber or dispenser.
1
3
6
a) Recording
The registration book should be
completed at the time of dispensing
or at the close of the working day
PRB should be used both when
prescriptions are
retained in the pharmacy and
when they are returnedto the patient
1
4
1
For prescription retained in the
pharmacy
Enter the detail of dispensing
information in to the PRB before
dispensing or at the end of working
day
1
4
3
Information to enter in to PRB include
Date
Prescriptionnumber
Patientinformation(nameofpatient,sex,age,weight)
Diagnosis
Descriptionofmedicinedispensed(nameofmedicine,
dose,strength,Qtydispensed,
Prescriberinformation(nameofprescriber,
qualification)
Dispenserinformation(nameofdispenser,
qualification)
Remark(credit,free,prisoner)
1
4
4
Auditable Pharmaceuticals Transactions
and Dispensing Solutions (APTDS) Base
codes
Dosage Form Base Code Range
➢Capsules ➢01 to 09
➢Tablets, Lozenge ➢10 to 19
➢Oral preparation (such as
suspension, syrup, solution, drop,
elixir, gel, emulsion, oral powder,
paste) ➢20 to 29
➢Injectable, implants, Infusion ➢30 to
39
1
4
5
APTDS
➢Eye, Ear & Nasal preparations (such
as drops, solution, suspensions,
ointments, spray, Inhaler, aerosol) ➢
40 to 49
Topical preparations (such as cream,
ointments, lotion, shampoo, gel,
powder) ➢50 to 59
Note: Cream Starts from 50 whereas
ointment starts from 56 but lotions and
shampoos start from 50
1
4
6
APTDS
Suppositories, pessaries, Vaginal
creams, Vaginal ointment and tablets,
Vaginal Ovule ➢Note: Creams starts
from 60 and vaginal ointment starts
from 66
60 to 69
➢Medical Supplies Reagents (such as
lab reagents), radiology chemicals ➢
70 to 99 1
4
7
APTDS
Raw chemical for Laboratory, raw
materials for extemporaneous
preparation) ➢1-01 to 1-09
Sanitary chemicals (antiseptics and
disinfectants) ➢2-01 to 2-09
Consumable instruments ➢3-01 to 3-
09
Others (like close, woods etc.…) ➢4-
01 to 4-09
1
4
8