Ellen Campbell-Grizzl

All patients have a right to expect that the correct medicine will be prescribed and dispensed for them. Jamaican pharmacists have a good record in protecting patients against prescribing and dispensing errors. Each prescription goes through a drill that is developed to manage the risks that are a part of the medicine distribution process.

Here are 10 checkpoints that are routinely monitored by your pharmacist after you present your prescription.

1. Verification that the prescription is genuine. There are some signs that indicate counterfeit prescriptions and your pharmacist must be satisfied that the prescription is signed by an authorised prescriber. Suspect scripts are subjected to intense scrutiny and checks are made with the physician for signature verification. A fake prescription raises the first red flag.

2. Verification that the prescription is written for you. Pharmacists often greet the patient by the name written on the prescription. A wrong address is also a tell-tale sign. If you do not confirm that the medication belongs to you, the second red flag goes up.

3. Age verification. Some drugs are age specific and may not suit your age profile. In the case of young children, the age is very important as dose calculations may be based on the age of the child. The wrong age sends up the third red flag.

4. Verification that the selected drugs are intended for you. There are a few medicines that have similar names, but are used to treat different conditions. Your pharmacist may have a short discussion with you to get a sense of your treatment needs. If the pharmacist suspects that there is a prescribing error, the fourth red flag goes up.

5. Scan for drug-drug interactions. Some drug combinations should not be given. In some cases, doses may have to be adjusted. If this is necessary, a fifth red flag is raised.

6. Dispense and check the prescription. These tasks are usually performed by two persons to reduce the risk of dispensing errors. Checking includes matching the dispensed drug against the contents of the original bottle for shape, size and colour. The number of tablets or volume of liquid is also verified. If any differences are observed, a sixth red flag goes up

7. Medication counselling. If every thing is in order, your pharmacist will give you your medication, calling your name and reading from the instructions written on the pharmacy label during the regular medication counselling session. Each instruction on the label is matched to what is written by the prescriber. If the name differs or instructions vary, a seventh red flag is raised

8. Post medication collection. Your pharmacist will examine the work station to see if any item is left behind. If medication is left behind, an eighth red flag will go off and every effort will be made to contact you immediately

9. A ninth red flag goes off when you call your pharmacist or return to the pharmacy with any doubt concerning your medication.

10. A green flag goes up when you advise your pharmacist that you have taken your medication and had the desired outcome.

During this process, your pharmacist is usually having dialogue with the physician about your medication order and discussing the changes that may be needed. Pharmacists are never at ease until you tell them that you are getting good results from your treatment.

Ellen Campbell Grizzle, president, Caribbean Association of Pharmacists; director, Information & Research, National Council on Drug Abuse; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.