Pharmacy Practice Standards and Dispensing Requirements
Pharmacy Practice Standards and Dispensing Requirements
This domain tests the pharmacist’s core dispensing duties: validating the prescription, performing drug utilization review, labeling, counseling, and documenting the encounter.
Core rules
- A prescription must be issued by a prescriber with authority, for a legitimate medical purpose, and contain patient, drug, strength, quantity, directions, date, and prescriber identifiers. For controlled substances, the prescriber’s DEA number and state controlled-substance authority are also required.
- The pharmacist must verify authenticity and resolve ambiguities before dispensing; a pharmacist may not dispense on an incomplete or invalid order. Clarifications should be documented.
- Labeling must include pharmacy identity, prescription number, date, patient name, directions, drug name and strength, quantity, and prescriber. Auxiliary labels and beyond-use dating apply when required.
- Counseling must be offered on new prescriptions and when the pharmacist judges it necessary; refusal should be documented per policy.
- Refills may not exceed the prescriber’s authorization or the legal limit. Transfers require a valid, documented request and comply with federal and Louisiana rules, especially for controlled substances.
- Records must be retained for the Board’s required period and be readily retrievable.
Worked example
A prescriber sends an electronic prescription for amoxicillin 500 mg, “take as directed,” quantity 30, no frequency. The pharmacist cannot infer the frequency; “as directed” is not a complete direction for an anti-infective. The pharmacist contacts the prescriber, obtains “one capsule three times daily for 10 days,” documents the call, and dispenses. If the prescriber cannot be reached, the prescription is not dispensed.
Traps
Filling incomplete directions; assuming a refill is authorized; transferring a controlled substance without meeting the one-time transfer rule; skipping counseling documentation; dispensing after the prescription’s legal validity period.