Community pharmacists' attitudes towards checking prescriptions: a cross-sectional survey

W Ellen van Loon*, Maarten Lambert, Mette Heringa, Marcel L Bouvy, Katja Taxis

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The final prescription check is a mandatory but time-consuming process in Dutch community pharmacies. A safer dispensing process may have made the final prescription check obsolete.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the final prescription check in Dutch community pharmacies and explore pharmacists' attitudes towards changing this.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey among Dutch community pharmacists. The online questionnaire was based on literature and previous qualitative research, piloted in three pharmacies, and took 10 min to complete. Results were analysed descriptively.

RESULTS: A total of 409 pharmacists participated. They saw the final prescription check as an important quality assurance of the dispensing process. Nevertheless, most pharmacists agreed that the final prescription check could be optimized as they thought that the time invested outweighed the benefits. Automation of the dispensing process, only checking selected high-risk prescriptions, and more in-process checks could reduce the need for an extensive final prescription check, rather than delegating the task to assistants. To implement changes, most pharmacists felt current dispensing guidelines needed to be adapted.

CONCLUSION: There was a widespread consensus that optimizing the final prescription check could enhance efficiency and allow more time for person-centred care. Most pharmacists expressed a preference for updated guidelines before implementing such changes.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberriae030
Pages (from-to)363-368
Number of pages6
JournalThe International Journal of Pharmacy Practice
Volume32
Issue number5
Early online date10 Jul 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2024

Keywords

  • clinical assessment
  • community pharmacy services
  • dispensing
  • drug prescriptions
  • final prescription check
  • pharmaceutical services

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Community pharmacists' attitudes towards checking prescriptions: a cross-sectional survey'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this