Pharmacy Law & Ethics Flashcards

A pharmacist discovers a dispensing error before the patient has received the medication. What must happen?

Answer: Correct the error, document it, tell the patient if relevant, and report through the pharmacy's error reporting system

GPhC standards require duty of candour: pharmacists must be open about errors, correct them, inform patients if harm occurred, and report through governance systems to enable learning.

Which schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations exempts certain preparations from CD safe custody requirements?

Answer: Schedule 5

Schedule 5 preparations (e.g., low-strength codeine linctus, dihydrocodeine preparations) are exempt from most CD controls including safe custody, requisitions, and registers.

What is 'off-label' prescribing?

Answer: Prescribing a medicine outside its licensed indications, age, dose, or route

Off-label use means a licensed medicine is used in a way not covered by its marketing authorisation (e.g., different indication, age group, or dose). The prescriber takes clinical responsibility.

The GPhC Pharmacist Independent Prescriber qualification allows prescribing:

Answer: Any medicine within their competence, including Schedule 2 and 3 CDs (except diamorphine for addiction)

GPhC-qualified pharmacist independent prescribers can prescribe any licensed medicine within their competence, including CDs (except diamorphine and cocaine for addiction treatment).

Under the Equality Act 2010, a pharmacy must make 'reasonable adjustments' for patients with disabilities. An example includes:

Answer: Providing large-print labels or offering a private consultation area

Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act might include accessible premises, large-print or audio labels, or private areas for patients with communication or hearing difficulties.