Where pharmacy scores

Following my last blog on receptionists dispensing, here’s a sample of patient interventions that we have made recently:

The patient issued a new script for carbimazole and on questioning, knew to look out for ‘problems with his white blood cells’. However, when I asked what actual symptoms he needed to look out for (e.g. sore throat, etc) he had no idea. Therefore I filled him in on the rest.

The patient discharged from hospital after being initiated on zonisamide. The drug dose was being built up slowly on a weekly basis, therefore the patient had clear written instructions from the hospital on how to build up the dose over a 4 week period, and had four boxes containing the corresponding doses. Trouble is that she got rather confused and started taking all four boxes at the same time! Hence, after a discussion with the GP, we are now issuing her with weekly supplies.

The mum who had a little 3 year old with a repeat script of paracetamol suspension 120mg/5ml at a dose of 2.5ml QDS. On questioning her she said that the prescription had been repeated because the painkiller didn’t seem to be working so, in the absence of any thing else, I suggested that she may want to use the usual dose for a 3 year old of 5-10ml QDS.