APC Regulatory & Ethical Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Pharmacy Board of Australia guidelines, what is the minimum frequency for pharmacists to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) activities?
- 10 hours per year
- 20 hours per year (Correct answer)
- 40 hours per year
- No minimum — self-directed only
Correct answer: 20 hours per year
The Pharmacy Board of Australia requires pharmacists to complete at least 20 hours of CPD annually to maintain registration.
Question 2: A pharmacist discovers a dispensing error made by a colleague that did not reach the patient. What is the MOST appropriate first step?
- Document the near-miss in the pharmacy's incident reporting system (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague privately and ask them not to repeat the error
- Report the error directly to the Pharmacy Board of Australia
- Discard the medication and do not document to avoid liability
Correct answer: Document the near-miss in the pharmacy's incident reporting system
Near-miss errors must be recorded in the pharmacy's incident reporting system to support a culture of safety and continuous improvement.
Question 3: Which Australian legislation primarily governs the scheduling of poisons and controlled substances at the federal level?
- Therapeutic Goods Act 1989
- Poisons Standard (SUSMP) (Correct answer)
- National Health Act 1953
- Pharmacy Practice Act
Correct answer: Poisons Standard (SUSMP)
The Poisons Standard (Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons) is the federal instrument that classifies medicines into schedules.
Question 4: A patient requests their prescription medication without a valid prescription, claiming they lost it. What is the most ethically appropriate response?
- Dispense a small emergency supply and contact the prescriber as soon as possible (Correct answer)
- Refuse entirely and direct them to an emergency department
- Dispense the full quantity on good faith
- Report the patient to the Pharmacy Board
Correct answer: Dispense a small emergency supply and contact the prescriber as soon as possible
An emergency supply may be provided for certain medications with the prescriber contacted promptly, balancing patient safety with legal compliance.
Question 5: Under Australian privacy law, which principle requires pharmacists to inform patients about how their health information will be used?
- Principle of Beneficence
- Open and Transparent Management principle (Correct answer)
- Minimum Necessary Standard
- Data Minimisation Requirement
Correct answer: Open and Transparent Management principle
The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles require health practitioners to be open and transparent about the management of personal information.
Question 6: When a pharmacist exercises their right to conscientious objection to dispensing a legal medication, what is their primary obligation?
- They may refuse without any further obligation
- They must ensure the patient can access the medication through another means (Correct answer)
- They must report the prescription to the Pharmacy Board
- They must permanently decline all similar prescriptions
Correct answer: They must ensure the patient can access the medication through another means
A pharmacist exercising conscientious objection must refer the patient to another pharmacist or source so patient care is not compromised.
Question 7: The principle of 'non-maleficence' in pharmacy ethics means a pharmacist should:
- Always act in the patient's best interest
- Avoid causing harm to the patient (Correct answer)
- Respect patient autonomy in all decisions
- Distribute healthcare resources fairly
Correct answer: Avoid causing harm to the patient
Non-maleficence is the ethical principle of 'do no harm,' requiring pharmacists to avoid actions that cause unnecessary harm.
APC Regulatory & Ethical Standards 2
Under the Pharmacy Board of Australia guidelines, what is the minimum frequency for pharmacists to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) activities?