Sunday, August 26, 2007

More on "look-alike" and "sound-alike" dispensing errors

I'm beginning to notice that dispensing errors that have caught media attention or have landed in courtrooms were due to failure to observe dispensing rules and regulations under the Generics Act of 1988.

If, for example, "the lady at the counter" paid more attention to generics, she might have refused to fill the prescription for Methergin if the generic name was not written on it. Or, if the generic name was written, she might have thought it as an "impossible prescription" if she have interpreted the brand name as Melleril. [1]

A.O. 63 s. 1989 specifically states that "[v]iolative and impossible prescriptions as defined in A.O. 62 (Generic Prescribing) shall not be filled. The pharmacist shall advise the prescriber of the problem and/or instruct the customer to get the proper prescription..." (Section 4, 4.1)

The dermatologist who prescribed Thiamine had observed generic prescribing but the pharmacist's failure to practice what was required under the law had led to a dispensing error by filling the prescription with Thorazine. [2] (Oral doses of thiamine is being used as an mosquito repellant.) [3]



References:

1. "Wow mali" by Joy Gonzalez at http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife02_sept_2003 [cited Aug.16, 2007]

2. http://ca.supremecourt.go/cardis/CV83632.pdf [cited Aug. 16, 2007]

3. "Avoiding Mosquito Bites" at http://www.infomediko.com.ph/past_episodes.html#061107avoiding [cited Aug. 26, 2007]

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