Mr.

Haroon Rahim
(Pharm-D, M.Phil, R-Ph & PhD Scholar)

Lecturer Department of Pharmacy Sarhad University of Science & Information Technology Peshawar

Dispensing
Dispensing is an important part of the practice of pharmacy,

in which the pharmacist or the pharmacy technician (under

the direct supervision of the pharmacist) interprets the physician's requirements on the prescription and accordingly supplies medicines for the treatment of his patient (s).
This usually involves interpreting a written prescription but

may, on occasions, also include taking instructions given by word of mouth or by telephone from the physician.

The various activities involved in Dispensing are

Receiving and confirming orders Checking prescription and interpretation

Verifying and consulting if required

Removing medicines for issue and assembling Billing and counterchecking
Issuing medicines to the client with clear instructions and counseling

Dispensing modules for good pharmacy practice

1.

Dispensing environment
a) b) c) d)

Prescription Counter Waiting Area Requirements of a good dispensing environment Barriers, noise and distractions that can affect dispensing Receiving the prescription Reading the prescription and checking for A. Legality B. Legibility C. Completeness and correctness Filling a prescription Removal of medicines from shelves. Assembling of medicines. Billing. Packing. Refilling a prescription Dispensing errors Role of pharmacists in promoting correct dispensing Refusal to dispense prescriptions Alternatives to conventional prescriptions.

2.

Handling of Prescriptions
a) b)

3.

Processing a prescription
a) b) c) d) e) f)

4.

Other aspects of dispensing

a) b) c) d)

DISPENSING ENVIRONMENT 1.1 Prescription counter

Ideally the prescription counter should:
Be accessible to the client

Preferably be separate and in a quite location. If there are other separate sections (e.g

cosmetics, general items, OTC section), it should be slightly away from them
Be calm. Orderly, attractive and marked with an identifying sign or symbol which can

be easily identified and seen from other parts of the pharmacy.

A different color, appearance, demarcation etc may be given to the prescription

section, to provide added emphasis.

Have a waiting area for clients who wait for their prescriptions to be dispensed or

filled

1.2 Waiting area

What should and ideal waiting area provide?
Comfortable chairs/place to sit (especially for

elderly/disabled/sick patients to rest).

Current

popular

health

magazines

and

carefully selected material to good health, to

keep the client busy/occupied and prevent

boredom while waiting to receive medicines.
Pamphlets and posters related to public,

family and other individual health problems prominently displayed (as the waiting area could be used as a health education center)

1.3 Requirements of a Good Dispensing Environment

1. 2.

Be clean: To give a professional impression and outlook to the pharmacy. Be organized: To provide for a safe and efficient working area. (Such that things are found in the right place at the right times and there are minimum obstructions and hurdles).

3.

Have sufficient space For easy movement of personnel in the pharmacy, and to prevent
congestion and physical contact among staff while working.

4.

Temperature and humidity controlled As appropriate temperature and humidity are necessary for stability of medicines till the expiry date.

5.

No loud music playing, gossiping, talking, or television (e.g. a cricket match or a movie) : To avoid distractions during dispensing.

6.

Have medicines stored in an organized way on shelves in alphabetical order or using

the method normally employed in that particular pharmacy: To ensure quick, but safe
selection of the correct medicines from the shelves to minimize dispensing errors.
BE CLEAN, GET ORGANISED!! GIVE THE PHARMACY A PROFESSIONAL

LOOK

Maintaining a clean environment requires

A regular routine of cleaning shelves, medicines/products, and a daily

cleaning of floors. A regular schedule for checking, cleaning and defrosting the refrigerator. Immediate wiping of accidental spills due to breakage, etc, during dispensing.
Activity 1: Prepare separate SOPs for cleaning the floor, shelves,

refrigerator, drawers etc. Each SOP should define responsibilities to the pharmacy staff.

the periodicity with the

which cleaning (of each) should be carried out and also assign

Activity 2: Prepare a work chart to be signed by the person doing the

cleaning and the person supervising, on the completion of work

Advantages of a good dispensing enviroment I. Reduces dispensing errors. II. Reduces fatigue among pharmacy staff. III. Enhances services. IV. Improves the image of pharmacy V. Increases clients VI. Increases speed. VII.Creates a professional image
Working in a clean and an organized environment in a pharmacy, aids

in accuracy while dispensing, and also gives a professional look to the pharmacy. Presence of a separate prescription counter and waiting area can further Highlight professionalism and competence of the

pharmacist. Pharmacists handle medicines, and a slight dispensing

error could result in serious consequences i.e. health -wise for the patient, and for the pharmacy a loss of reputation. Thus a good dispensing environment is recommended for every pharmacy.

2) HANDLING PRESCRIPTIONS
2.1 Receiving the Prescription
As clients come into the pharmacy, they must be made to feel

attended to and comfortable by : Friendly gestures. A smile. Eye-to-eye contact. A friendly welcome. Courtesy. Feeling of caring .

2.2 Communication should be initiated in such a manner that it encourages the client to convey his/her needs by producing a prescription or by asking for other products or advice

Upon receiving the prescription, the pharmacist should confirm

Whether the client is the patient

himself or has come on the patient's behalf. The relation of the client with the patient. The client may politely be requested to wait, while the pharmacist reviews the prescription for:
Legality

Excuse me sir! Is this your medicine

No

and completeness of prescription. Therapeutic aspects Appropriateness for the individual

For whom medication is prescribed

It is prescribed for me

2.2 Reading the Prescription and Checking for Completeness and Correctness
While reading and checking the

prescription, the pharmacist Should

Be alert, and concentrate on the

prescription.
Not be distracted.
Not engage in talking or chatting. Engage/

use in

his

professional/ the

experience prescription.

assessing

 After receiving the prescription, it is important for the

pharmacist to read the prescription to verify whether

It is legal and complete with respect to the various parts of the

prescription, and therefore

It can be dispensed as such, or not.

Legality
A prescription is legal when :
It is written (can also be typed) by a R.M.P. Signed by the R.M.P. Has all the information required to be contained with respect to parts

of prescription

Legibility
Handwritten names of patients and medicines are often

difficult to read. In case of illegibility of name, age, etc, ask the patient for the correct spelling tactfully. For example the pharmacist may ask
Excuse me the first name is Jame or Jane

Always use excuse me or please etc and be polite

Never dispense Guess work

Legibility is a problem requiring alertness and critical judgment on the part of the

pharmacist. Careless handwriting and similarity in spelling of names of different

drugs add to the difficulty.

Example of a Reading error:

Arlidin and Artidin - Due to illegible handwriting of doctors, Artidin could be

read as Arlidin. Artidin is a brand containing Diclofenac whereas Arlidin contains Nylidrin two different drugs used for two different conditions. When handwriting is illegible, the best thing to do is to contact the physician over the phone and

confirm.
Remember, you are dealing with medicines and thus, the lives of patients so be sure

of what you are dispensing. Imagine the disastrous consequences of dispensing the wrong medicine NEVER DISPENSE GUESS WORK

 b) The dosage form, the dosage and the quantity to be

dispensed have to be legible so that dispensing becomes easier for the pharmacist.
The instructions written for administration should state

clearly what the physician expects from the patient so that the pharmacist can counsel the patients efficiently.
All terminology, including units of measures (metric,

apothecary or English) and Latin abbreviations should be

properly interpreted

Completeness and correctness

The prescription serves as a vehicle for communication from the licensed

practitioner to the pharmacist about the pharmaceutical care of the patient.

Details to be checked for
i) Physician's details.
ii) Patient's details. iii) Check the product details

Checking the product details will include checking :

Name of the product. Dosage form. Strength/ potency of the medicine. Total amount to be dispensed and its availability Dosage and directions for use. Frequency of administration

General dispensing procedure

1.

2.
3.

4.
5.

6.

Work on your own place. Wear freshly laundered overall coat. Provide yourself with a clean glass-cloth, a duster and either sponge. Work in a clean and tidy manner. Read the prescription carefully, make sure you understand it and that it is legally correct. If necessary, find out the formula of the prescription in an appropriate source of information.

7. Check the doses of internal preparations. 8. Find, from an appropriate source, if any ingredient is 9. 10. 11. 12.

13.

a poison. Conform that there are no pharmaceutical or therapeutic incompatibility in the preparation. if you are unsure of correct method of preparation refer to your practical notebook. Look up the storage conditions for the preparations. Work out the calculations. Check the calculations.

14. Collect the correct container and closure. 15. If necessary, trim the label to fit the container but do not 16. 17. 18. 19.

20.
21.

remove the name of suppliers. Write the main label and collect any special labels that are required. Make the preparation, pack it in the containers and polish the label. Check the label and fix them to the container. Check the finished preparation. Wrap the container and write the patients name and address on the wrapper. Make the appropriate records.