PEBC PEBC Drug Dispensing and Compounding 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a pharmacist receives a prescription for a controlled substance in Canada, which document must be retained for a minimum of two years?
- The original prescription (Correct answer)
- A photocopy of the patient's ID
- The patient's insurance card
- A verbal record log
Correct answer: The original prescription
Original prescriptions for controlled substances must be retained for a minimum of two years as required by Canadian federal regulations.
Question 2: Which beyond-use date (BUD) applies to a non-sterile compounded preparation stored at room temperature according to USP <795> guidelines used in PEBC practice?
- 14 days
- 35 days (Correct answer)
- 6 months
- 1 year
Correct answer: 35 days
USP <795> assigns a default BUD of 35 days for non-sterile solid and non-aqueous liquid preparations stored at controlled room temperature.
Question 3: A pharmacist is compounding a topical cream for a patient. Which of the following is the most critical step before compounding begins?
- Reviewing the patient's insurance coverage
- Verifying the formulation is appropriate and checking for ingredient compatibility (Correct answer)
- Labelling the final container
- Calculating the dispensing fee
Correct answer: Verifying the formulation is appropriate and checking for ingredient compatibility
Verifying formulation appropriateness and ingredient compatibility is paramount to ensure patient safety before any compounding activity.
Question 4: Under the NAPRA Model Standards, which class of pharmacy compounding involves preparing commercially unavailable products requiring specialized technique?
- Category A
- Category B (Correct answer)
- Category C
- Category D
Correct answer: Category B
Category B compounding under NAPRA standards covers preparations that are commercially unavailable and require more complex techniques and quality controls.
Question 5: When dispensing a narrow therapeutic index (NTI) drug like warfarin, what is the pharmacist's primary responsibility at dispensing?
- Automatically substituting with a generic brand
- Providing counselling on dose, adherence, and signs of adverse effects (Correct answer)
- Skipping the verification step to save time
- Dispensing without a label to protect privacy
Correct answer: Providing counselling on dose, adherence, and signs of adverse effects
For NTI drugs, pharmacist counselling on dosing, adherence, and adverse effect monitoring is critical because small variations can lead to serious harm.
Question 6: Which regulatory body oversees the licensing of pharmacists and pharmacies at the provincial level in Canada?
- Health Canada
- The provincial pharmacy regulatory authority (e.g., OCP, CPBC) (Correct answer)
- The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC)
- The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA)
Correct answer: The provincial pharmacy regulatory authority (e.g., OCP, CPBC)
Each province has its own regulatory authority (e.g., OCP in Ontario, CPBC in British Columbia) that licenses pharmacists and pharmacies.
PEBC PEBC Drug Dispensing and Compounding 1
When a pharmacist receives a prescription for a controlled substance in Canada, which document must be retained for a minimum of two years?