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    F ESept/Oct 2011

    Keep Calm and Get That MPharm

    Kingston University Pharmacy Students Association

    Current News | Interviews | Reviews | Kingston School of Pharmacy Info

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    Wlcmeto

    The

    P&M

    ContentsStaff Proles

    2

    Uzma MehmoodManaging Editor

    Shilan GhafoorCo-Editor

    Dawar QhoraishJournalist

    Maliha BhattiArt Director

    Kalpesh PatelJournalist

    Abi OgunrindeEditor in Chief

    Editors LerHl! I eae t lc y t Kngst Uri PhmaSunt Asoiai rs icai , Th Pestl & Moar! W

    h y j n c la t cnn nue i rs is .Ti icai m t ncra y t ea uti y sue nnga n hn y huht iea bu wl h-

    ma tod. Th Pestl & Moarls m t w y pasif hma ru ve ie n eae r xe-i in i c ea nesn ba, t nw

    i e wn hma wl.

    I eiti bor h ha wy e y ed, a hma sun n eas y ha i m t hmae h us n y ea bok! S c n e

    ha MPh!

    Th y.

    3

    45

    6

    8

    7

    Currentnews

    rPs ConferenCe

    2011 review

    interviewwitha

    Community

    PharmaCist

    survival Guide

    Brands vs GeneriCs:

    lettheBattle

    CommenCe

    mCPharmaCy

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    Currentnews

    Wicks, N. (2011). Hit Or Miss? Reckitt Benckiser Recalls Nurofen Plus Over Sabotage Fears. Available: http://cached.

    imagescaler.hbpl.co.uk/resize/scaleWidth/393/?sURL=http://ofinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/News/WRP/2045765C-C379-CCAA-

    3E7ECA78DC895ECA.jpg. Last accessed 6th September 2011.

    1. MHRA. (2011). Drugs Alerts. Available: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Safe-

    tyinformation/Safetywarningsalertsandrecalls/DrugAlerts/index.htm. Lastaccessed 5th September 2011

    2. Vimeo. (2011). BBC News 24 - Nurofen Plus. Available: http://vimeo.

    com/28397879. Last accessed 1st September 2011

    by Shilan GhafoorIn late August, the discovery of the anti-psychotic

    drug, Seroquel XL in packs of Nurofen Plus tab-

    lets sent shockwaves throughout the pharmaceu-

    tical world. At rst this discovery could not be ex-

    plained however, it soon came to light that this

    could be a case of deliberate sabotage and a po-

    lice investigation was subsequently launched.

    What prompted this was the fact that these drugs

    are manufactured by two different companies at

    two separate sites. Nurofen Plus is made by Reck-itt Benckiser while Serequel XL is by AstraZeneca.

    Simple logistics prevented accidental contamination.

    Reckitt Benckiser have also suggested that consolida-

    tion can account for this mishap. Consolidation is a

    process whereby medicines which are returned to phar-

    macies or wholesalers are repackaged again for sale.

    The widespread media attention quickly led to more

    cases of rogue packets being identied. This time a

    pharmacy in Northern Ireland checking their Nuro-fen Plus boxes found the epilepsy drug Neurotonin.

    The MHRA issued a Class 1 drug alert to health-

    care professionals, the most critical drug alert1.

    while Reckitt Benckiser issued an immediate na-

    tionwide recall of all Nurofen Plus packs with an

    estimated 250,000 packs being asked to be returned.

    Nurofen Plus is an over the counter pain killer con-

    sisting of Ibuprofen and Codeine. It is available in

    pack sizes of 12, 16, 24 and 32 although only the

    32 pack size seems to have been affected. Four

    specic batches of these packs were found to con-

    tain Seroquel XL, which is available on prescrip-

    tion only and is given in the treatment of CNS

    conditions including schizophrenia. Though only

    one pack was found to contain Neurotonin, com-

    monly prescribed for epilepsy and neuropathic pain.

    So far only two people are known to have taken Se-

    roquel in place of Nurofen Plus but neither have had

    any adverse effects. The Royal Pharmaceutical So-

    cietys Neal Patel stated: For a healthy adult a single

    dose of Seroquel is unlikely to cause major problem.

    However, for patients taking other medicines

    or those with other medical conditions or if you

    suspect you may have accidentally taken Se-

    roquel and feel unwell, seek advice from your

    pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible.

    Nevertheless the case is being investigated by

    the police while the company has halted produc-

    tion of Nurofen Plus until the investigation is over.

    September 2011

    2.

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    Review

    byAbi OgunrindeThe opening keynote of the conference was given

    by Marc DuBois, Executive Director of the interna-

    tional humanitarian medical aid organisation, M-

    decins Sans Frontires (MSF). MSF provides essen-

    tial healthcare to the most vulnerable populations in

    danger in more than 60 countries or to those that do

    not have access to healthcare. Mr DuBois delivered

    a fantastic and inspiring presentation on teamwork in

    challenging and extreme environments. MSF gainedits reputation by acknowledging that there is a prob-

    lem and not walking from it which was especially rec-

    ognised by the Nobel committee. In order to sustain

    their reputation, teamwork was essential with health-

    care professionals. Mr DuBois described a frame-

    work of no hierarchy but overlaps of teams, which

    placed pharmacists are at the heart of this aid or-

    ganisation. We work in a challenging environment,

    and to overcome any challenge requires teamwork,

    he said. As a profession and professional, pharma-

    cists can help contribute to the clinical outcomes of

    a patient, work against the problems of counterfeit

    medicines and improve the good manufacture prac-

    tice and quality control of drugs formulated and de-livered while working in extreme environments for

    MSF. The key message and in relation to the theme

    of the conference is teamwork which is vital in any

    sector. Mr DuBois concluded, Teamwork can be

    used to overcome all the challenging obstacles be-

    fore you. This is why teamwork is so important.

    Thereafter the opening keynote, delegates had to

    attend one of the four scheduled parallel sessions

    so I chose to attend the session on Supporting the

    future of pharmacy through education and profes-

    sionalism. This session was very engaging and ap-

    plied very much to me as a pharmacy student. New

    research on professionalism and pharmacy educa-tion was focused on during the session. Dening

    professionalism (and its elements) in early career

    pharmacists was a study conducted by Rebecca

    Elvey and a group of students from the University

    of Manchester where they used focus groups and

    individual interviews to investigate the concept of

    professionalism. Three sub elements of professional-

    ism were identied to be ethical values and conduct,

    the tangible element of professionalism and the soft

    elements of professionalism; and were described

    by Ms Elvey presenting the study in the session.

    Though pharmacology lecturer commented on the

    ethical values and conduct explored and the fact that

    pharmacy undergraduates need to be taught when to

    break the rules professionally, think on their own

    and be original in their thinking because new phar-

    macists are just put in a eld where theres so many

    rules and regulations. It was found also that aspects

    of the soft elements of professionalism need to be

    more focused on, especially on pharmacy students.

    This involved approachability, listening to the

    patient and treating them with courtesy, speak-

    ing in a condent manner and using the right lan-

    guage when speaking to patients. What can our

    school of pharmacy do to help in this problem?

    Another study looked at during the session on the

    impact of the General Pharmaceutical Council

    (GPhC) Code of conduct for pharmacy students andtness-to-practise procedures on MPharm students.

    It was conducted by Gareth Kitson and a group of

    students from the University of Bath, where eighteen

    schools of pharmacies participated. It was found that

    female students were more likely to read the Gen-

    eral Pharmaceutical Council Code of conduct than

    male students. 69% of participants in the study had

    read the conduct before agreeing but it was revealed

    in a focus group that participants felt that it was a

    means to an end; to be an MPharm student and con-

    tinue with their studies they had to sign it. But study

    also revealed that there was no clarity on the Code of

    conduct as a student and as a professional. In addi-

    tion, participants felt that they were not aware of thetness to practice procedures and would only know

    once they had done something wrong. Do you agree?

    The General Pharmaceutical Council were aware of

    the study conducted however, Mr Kitson concluded

    that more guidance is needed on the code of conduct.

    Research done by Zoe Lim and Claire Anderson

    from University of Nottingham on expanding the

    teaching capacity in schools of pharmacies found

    it can be done best by importing practising pharma-

    cists. However, some practising pharmacists may

    feel theyll perish if they enter academia while

    others see it as a means of continuing professional

    development. Though one pharmacist in academia

    during the session commented saying that there

    is a tradition of teaching seen in Medicine but not

    seen in Pharmacy. Why is that? Perhaps this tradi-

    tion should be implemented in the pharmacy culture

    and in that way, the teaching capacity in schools of

    pharmacies and quality of teaching may increase.

    After lunch, I attend another parallel session out of

    another four parallel sessions scheduled on How to

    get people to want you on their team (Building sus-

    tainable inuence). It was an excellent interactive

    session presented by Neil Poynter, Director of Mc3

    Ltd on how to help participants achieve inuence on

    others. In order to have inuence, we must have good

    selling skills, be capable and have intellect. Thereare four types of selling commoditive, technical,

    consultative and partnership. We must be interested,

    listen to the problem being faced and solve it and

    therefore be sellers who are consultative and can

    form partnership thus, being a problem solver; which

    Following the partnership created between the BPSA and theRoyal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), free joint membership forstudents has been established. They have been working together toprovide benets for students to gain much more during their timeat university such as access to local practice forums and discounton the RPSs products and services. Therefore, as a new RPSmember, I wanted to begin to reap these benets. So I gatheredup fty-ve pounds to attend one day out of this years twoday RPS Annual Conference. This years conference was based onEnsuring effective teamworking and collaboration with patientsand professionals, held at Goldsmiths, University of London. I was

    expecting to have an insight into the pharmacy profession todayand meet and learn from pharmacists, pre-registration traineesand other pharmacy students. But in the end, I felt I had gainedmore than what I expected.

    is a win:win situation. Therefore, inuence is es-

    tablished but is not manipulation. It was interesting

    to see how this session struck a chord with everyone

    personally and professionally. A female pharmacist

    commented that the pharmacy profession needs to

    sell itself more. She mentioned that recently she

    was told that shes invaluable as a pharmacist, but

    why? This may be because of our inuence as a pro-

    fession and professionals, it needs to be improved.

    Towards the end of the conference that day, there

    was a fascinating panel session regarding The

    Medicines (Pharmacies) (Responsible Pharmacist)

    Regulation 2008 and the changes on supervision in

    pharmacy. It is a complex subject as a uniform rule

    for supervision cannot apply to all sectors in phar-

    macy. Though the RPS have devised a principle

    based approach agreed by the chair boards consist-

    ing of ve principles (for further details, visit http://

    www.rpharms.com/current-campaigns--england/

    supervision.asp). The debate was brought to the

    conference with a panel of experts on the topic an-

    swering questions and expressing their own or com-

    munal views. The panellists were Martin Astbury,

    President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society;Mark Koziol, Director of Pharmacists Defence As-

    sociation; Fin McCaul, Chair of Independent Phar-

    macy Federation; Rob Darracott, Chief Exective

    of Pharmacy Voice and Peter H. Ellis, Executive

    Managing Director of PharmaTrust UK. Although a

    nal conclusion was not met, the main points that

    were stressed during the debate was that we should

    make the care of your patient your rst concern

    which underlined most points raised; supervision

    is a way of ensuring and increasing patient/public

    care and safety. Mr Koziol believes clinical checks

    and supply of medicines should not be focused on

    so much but more on patient care and how patients

    are taking their medicines. Mr McCaul commentedthat prescriptions checked and bagged should be

    given, P medicines should be dispensed by trained

    and competent staff but where questions are asked,

    the pharmacist is needed and to be contacted for an

    intervention. While Mr Astbury agreed with Mr Mc-

    Caul and added that supervision is needed to facili-

    tate getting the pharmacist in the front of shop and

    increase the professional and patient relationship.

    Mary Tully, Conference Chair 2011, ended her wel-

    come speech saying she hopes the delegates are to

    leave the conference feeling energized and ready

    to face the challenges and I did. I felt an increased

    excitement for the pharmacy profession. However,the challenges I may face might be in our school

    of pharmacy or in on a placement. Though the RPS

    seemed to have vibrant goals and a clearer vision on

    what to achieve as professional leadership body for

    the pharmacy profession since the split between the

    RPS and the GPhC a year ago, which is promising.

    For more information visit:

    Royal Pharmaceutical Society - http://www.rpharms.com/home/home.asp

    British Pharmaceutical Students Association - http://www.bpsa.co.uk

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    an interview with...

    aCommunityPharmaCistIt is estimated that over 1.8 million people visit a

    pharmacy in England on an average day. They area common fxture in our high streets, supermarketsand polyclinics and provide many different health-care services to the general public. In this issue ofThe Pestle & Mortar,we explore the benefts andchallenges of a community pharmacists day to daywork. Husain Master is the manager of an inde-pendent pharmacy; in this interview we take a lookat community pharmacy through his perspective.

    What do you enjoy most about being a community pharma-

    cist?

    There are many things I enjoy about my job. First and foremost

    is the daily interaction I have with other healthcare professionals.

    More importantly, I enjoy building relationships with patients. I

    like being at the forefront of the pharmacy and interacting with

    customers who visit the pharmacy for all sorts of reasons.

    What made you want to become a pharmacist working in

    a community setting as oppose to working in a hospital or

    industrial setting?This was a personal choice. I had training in both community

    and hospital pharmacy but enjoyed being in a community setting

    more. This was because I felt I had more patient interaction than I

    would have done in a hospital setting.

    I thought community pharmacists only dispensed medicines.

    What else can they do?

    Conventionally, the role of a pharmacist may have been seen as

    the person who counts the pills behind the counter. The role of a

    pharmacist is moving away from this as we are now getting more

    involved in delivering healthcare services to the local population.

    Services range from Diabetes and Cholesterol testing to carryingout Medicines Use Reviews (MURs). We can also carry out

    Vascular Risk Assessments and treat minor ailments.

    Where do you see community pharmacy in ve years time?

    With the introduction of many new services, pharmacies are

    becoming more like clinics on the high street rather then a tradi-

    tional medicine store. The NHS is a changing environment at the

    moment and this will provide great opportunities and challenges

    for pharmacists to expand and develop their role to get more

    involved in the primary care of patients. The role of a pharmacist

    will be in par with other healthcare professionals in terms of

    diagnostics and treatment. In essence we will become cliniciansrather then dispensers.

    Describe the day to day role of a community pharmacist

    My day to day job varies as no one day is the same. It ranges

    from dispensing medication to patients to providing advice on mi-

    nor ailments and carrying out services such as MURs. MURs help

    improve a patients understanding of their condition and

    medicines, resulting in better compliance and better outcomes

    for the patient. I also liaise with other healthcare professionals

    such as GPs to improve patient care.

    What is the most rewarding part of being a community

    pharmacist?

    The most rewarding part of being a community pharmacist is

    being able to provide a high quality service to customers. It

    is even more rewarding when this is appreciated and highlyvalued by the patients.

    Do you ever feel frustrated that a large proportion of

    the general public do not use their local pharmacy as a

    resource for questions on their medication?

    I dont feel frustrated, however a lot more can be done to

    promote pharmacy and enhance the knowledge of patients on

    what pharmacies can offer. It is a duty of all pharmacists to

    ensure this gap in knowledge is addressed. However, patients

    are gaining more and more understanding on what pharma-

    cies can offer and hence come to the pharmacy rst with their

    healthcare needs.

    How do you keep up to date with developments within your

    industry?

    CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is a vital method

    of keeping up to date. Other ways include being involved

    with different committees such as your Royal Pharmaceutical

    Society Local Practice Forums.

    What advice would you offer pharmacy students?

    Work hard but enjoy yourself. Before you graduate try and get

    some work experience in different sectors of pharmacy and see

    what suits you best.

    Finally, how can students get more involved in the chang-

    ing landscape of pharmacy?

    Become members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and

    also attend meetings held by your Local Practice Forums.

    husain masterInterview by Uzma Mehmood

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    Brands Vs GenericsLetthe BattLe CommenCe

    The inevitable question most pharmacists working in

    the community face, whats better branded or generic?

    Ever noticed a customer walking into a Pharmacy and

    insisting to buy a branded product such as Nurofen

    whilst claiming Ibuprofen tablets just do not work.

    Have you ever felt like screaming, Its the same thing!?

    The truth is generic medicines are the same as their brand

    named counterparts. The MHRA and GMP clearly state

    that when a drug is approved and licensed, it has un-

    dergone rigorous testing procedures. Testing is done toensure that the drugs have the same active ingredients,

    strength, dosage form and bioequivalence throughout.

    Most brand and generics even have the same side effects.

    Although generic drugs have the same active ingredi-

    ents as their branded equivalents, there can be variability

    in the inactive materials used. However, it is the job of

    healthcare professionals i.e. you the future pharmacist,

    to remain informed on current issues so that you are

    able to identify when it is necessary to suggest only cer-

    tain types of drugs, whether it be generic or branded.

    Have you ever noticed the difference in price between

    branded and generic medicines? Take for example Pir-

    iteze allergy tablets, Im sure you may have taken them

    over the summer if you have hay fever. The average cost

    of a pack of 30 Piriteze allergy tablets is about 8.00,

    buying the generic equivalent Ceterizine Hydrochlo-

    ride will only set you back about 3.00, thats a frac-

    tion of the price even though both medicines contain

    the same active ingredient and work in the same way.Howvever, it does seem like an excellent marketing

    strategy - put a fancy name and shiny box to something

    and patients will always seem to fall for it, without

    even noticing that the same medicine is available with-

    out all the shiny bravado and for a fraction of the price.

    Patients also normally worry about the safety of the

    drugs if they are cheaper. They dont realise that the

    reason branded drugs are more expensive is because the

    manufacturers have had the expense of developing and

    marketing the new drug. The drug company can applyfor a patent which means that the company that has de-

    veloped the drug has the exclusive right to sell the drug.

    However, when the patent expires, other companies take

    the same concept and apply for permission to make and

    sell the generic version of the drug. Other companies can

    afford to sell the same drug as a generic product for cheaper

    because there are no start-up costs for developing the drug.

    Some patients also believe that generic medicines take

    longer to work as oppose to branded medicines. This

    is also another myth; most generic medicines take

    the same amount of time to work than their branded

    counterparts. Luckily for us as pharmacy students,we get to learn all different aspects of medicines and

    their uses and can therefore advice patients on the best

    products based on their specic needs. Our principles

    and goal always stand at making the care of our pa-

    tients the rst concern even if that means were mak-

    ing a smaller prot by advising a cheaper product.

    by Kalpesh Patel & Uzma Mehmood

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    7

    SuvalGuid:FrsSmest2011st Year

    University is different very from college. The MPharm degree

    requires focus and is not one you can treat lightly. There is not

    much of a honeymoon period as youll nd in the rst year

    of other courses. However, enjoy the university atmosphere

    though be motivated to learn as well. Topics are covered briey

    in lectures and although workshops cover some topics in moredetail, most learning will be done in self-directed study. If you

    do have a query about a topic, best to email the appropriate lec -

    turer and ask a specic question. Its also best to have two lab

    coats a clean white one exclusively for Professional Practice

    practicals and another for other modules such as Pharmaceuti-

    cal & Biological Chemistry.

    PY1010: Cell Biology & Introductory Physiology

    The tutorial groups are very useful for the nal exam so do

    attempt to attend each one. In addition, each tutorial will have

    an assessment.

    Spend time and effort on essay assignment set because essay

    writing will be assessed in future modules, so it is best to makea good start.

    PY1020: Pharmaceutical & Biological Chemistry I

    Ensure your maths skills are up to standard as some may nd

    it difcult dealing with maths. Workshops are excellent to learn

    more about the calculations involved and to practice.

    PY1030: Pharmaceutics & Microbiology I

    For some of you, there will be many new concepts not learnt

    before in the Microbiology material therefore, background

    reading will be required.

    Maths skills are required here so make sure you ask for help

    in the workshops if required.

    PY1040: Professional Practice I

    This is the module about the pharmacy profession. In thismodule and in all future pharmacy practice modules, you must

    not get use to using your calculator in this module but this will

    be explained in your calculation workshops. The calculations

    covered will reappear in future modules, so it is important you

    can successfully complete them at a reasonable pace. Do not

    become frustrated if you do nd calculations without a calcula-

    tor difcult practice makes perfect.

    Ensure you use your time wisely in practicals as this will be

    initial preparation for your dispensing exam at the end of the

    year

    2nd Year

    So youve passed the rst year including the dreaded dispens-ing exam! Congratulations! But there is a quite jump from rst

    year to second year. There are fewer workshops so even more

    background reading is required. Mid module tests are more

    frequent so all the revising cannot all be left few weeks before

    nal exam so you must get use to continuous revision.

    PY2010: Introductory Pharmacology

    There is essay assignment and it sound obvious but make sure

    you address the title correctly as well as spending time and

    effort on your piece.

    PY2020: Formulations and Medicines I

    You will learn many new topics on pharmaceutical technol-

    ogy so you will need to keep up. Aultons Pharmaceutics: TheDesign and Manufacture of Medicines is a useful book to read

    further understanding and reading.

    Workshops are useful for more information and good chance

    to ask any queries.

    PY2030: Pharmaceutical & Biological Chemistry III

    There is less help in practicals so ensure you spend more time

    reading the instructions before your practical sessions.

    Time should be spent at home on reactions and mechanisms

    as you go along as it will make you very prepared for the mid

    module and nal exams.

    PY2040: Professional Practice III

    New parts of the MEP such as Controlled Drugs and Veteri-

    nary prescriptions will be covered. At the end of workshops,

    there will be some sort of assessment so assure you read the

    relevant topics before you attend. Again, you must get into themood of continuous revision.

    More care is needed when screening prescriptions in practi-

    cals because more legal and clinical requirements and factors

    need to be taken into consideration.

    3rd Year

    Youve survived the Law & Ethics paper! Well done on

    successfully passing into third year! However, there is quite

    another big jump from second year to third year. This year

    is where your time management and organisation skills are

    really tested. Be prepared to get a little more cosy with your

    classmates as this year will be lled with many group workassignments!

    PY3020: Professional Practice V

    More calculations are to be covered mainly during self-

    directed study whilst at this stage, your pace at completing

    calculations should have increased.

    In practicals, the screening prescription sheets to complete

    have increased in length. Prescriptions given must be dis-

    pensed, labelled, checked and your paperwork is handed in

    to be assessed where marks awarded contribute towards your

    coursework grade.

    Workshops will mainly be based on Responding to Symptoms

    and there will be some sort of assessment given, such as as-sessed role play therefore, its best to be continuously revising

    and prepare for the next topic to be covered in the following

    workshops.

    PY3030: Pharmaceutical Technology & Pharmacokinetics

    Not as much practicals in this module compared to other

    similar modules.

    Be prepared to stay awake in lectures as they are later in the

    day!

    PY3040: Systems Pharmacology II

    Attend all lectures and practicals as vital information on as-

    sessments and practical assignments will be given. Plus a lot of

    information from the lecturer(s) can be gained which will not

    be found in books.

    PY3060: Clinical Pharmacy

    Read! Read! Read! Discuss concepts with friends and

    lecturers for further understanding or to consolidate your

    understanding. There is a lot of information to assimilate from

    this module but there are only a few books available to aid you

    whilst studying this module.

    4th Year

    Phew! Three years out of four completed already now youre

    on your way to getting that MPharm! Fail to prepare and

    prepare to fail! Plan, be organised, focus and believe! Surely,

    all your experiences and skills youve gained throughout the

    past three years of your MPharm degree will provide you witha steady platform to excel this year let alone this semester.

    Fourth year should not about all work and no play you must

    be able to work hard and play hardyoure almost there, its

    just the beginning!

    GodLuck

    !

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    FeaturedinthetomorrowsPharmaCist

    Welookforward

    toreceivingyour

    feedbackquestionnaires

    soon!

    T P

    & M

    Having worked in a community pharmacy or sixmonths now, I have noticed rst-hand the impatienceo some patients when requesting their medicines asthough the pharmacy is a ast ood restaurant.

    One group o people are those who have come into apharmacy or the rst time. Te prescription is hand-

    ed to the pharmacist who, along with the dispenser, isdoing several things at once in the dispensary and thepatient is advised o a rough waiting time and to shoparound or come back in a ew minutes or so. Never-theless, most o these patients would wait right behindthe prescription-handling counter and would not evensit down even when there is no one in the pharmacyat the time.

    Five to ten minutes later, depending on how long they

    have their car parking ticket valid, they will ask abouttheir prescription. I it is not ready they will eithercontinue waiting at same spot or say that they willtake their prescription elsewhere because they willget a parking ne i it is not done this instant. I oenthink that they could have looked around the shop orput some more money in the meter when the waitingtime was quoted. Since when has it become the phar-macys responsibility to ensure we get prescriptionsdone so that a patient doesnt have to put more moneyinto a parking meter or get a ne?

    However, they think that i they stand at the counter,their medicines will be dispensed quicker. I only theyunderstood the clinical checks and correct endorse-ments that need to be undertaken or each prescrip-tion. It is extremely rustrating when some patients donot understand or appreciate the process o dispens-ing a prescription saely.

    Another type o patient that makes our job challeng-ing are those on the repeat prescription service, wherethe pharmacy collects their prescriptions rom GP

    surgeries. Most o the time, patients comes in at thecorrect time and their medicines are ready or collec-tion. But on the ew occasions that it is not ready orthe prescription is not back rom the surgery yet, it isa diferent story. Te pharmacy has to investigate iand when the prescription was requested.

    Sometimes, aer looking through the patient medica-tion record system, we discover that they had come intoo early and were not due or their repeat prescrip-tion or another week. Tis could be because they havelost a ew tablets, they have taken more medicinesthan they should or, even worse, they might have beensharing medicines with someone else in the amily.Perhaps some just show up at the pharmacy earlybecause they think they can and it is convenient orthem to pick up their medicines at that time.

    Sometimes patients would say that they have notablets le and expect an emergency supply as thoughthey were asking or extra ries. One patient even senthis daughter or an emergency supply to our pharma-cy because he had run out o his diabetic medicine 10days ago and was supposed to telephone the pharmacyand request more through the prescription collectionservice but was too busy.

    A pharmacist is responsible or dispensing the correctmedicine so time is required to achieve this. Just howmuch public education is required to make people un-derstand that we do not deliberately give long waitingtimes or un and that we are here to dispense theirmedicines accurately and saely?

    cPhmayby Dawar Qhoraish


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