PSI Dispensing Practice 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct sequence of steps in the dispensing process?
- Receive prescription → clinical check → label → dispense → accuracy check → counsel patient (Correct answer)
- Label first → clinical check → dispense
- Dispense immediately → check → label
- Clinical check → label → dispense → skip counselling
Correct answer: Receive prescription → clinical check → label → dispense → accuracy check → counsel patient
The standard dispensing process: receive and validate the prescription, perform a clinical check, generate a label, select and dispense the product, accuracy check, then counsel the patient on proper use.
Question 2: Which label requirement is mandatory on all dispensed medicines in Ireland?
- Patient's name, medicine name/strength/form, dose instructions, pharmacy name and date (Correct answer)
- Only the patient's name and dose
- Manufacturer's name and batch number only
- Prescriber's name and NPI number only
Correct answer: Patient's name, medicine name/strength/form, dose instructions, pharmacy name and date
Irish pharmacy regulations require labels to include: patient name, drug name, strength, form, directions for use, quantity, pharmacy details and dispensing date at minimum.
Question 3: When conducting a clinical check on a prescription, the pharmacist should assess:
- Drug, dose, frequency, route, duration, interactions, allergies and patient appropriateness (Correct answer)
- Dose only
- Whether the prescriber's handwriting is legible only
- Price and availability only
Correct answer: Drug, dose, frequency, route, duration, interactions, allergies and patient appropriateness
A comprehensive clinical check covers the 'seven rights': right patient, drug, dose, route, frequency, duration and documentation — plus interactions and contraindications.
Question 4: A prescription written for 'co-codamol 30/500 tablets' — what does 30/500 represent?
- 30 mg codeine + 500 mg paracetamol per tablet (Correct answer)
- 30 mg paracetamol + 500 mg codeine
- 300 mg codeine + 5 mg paracetamol
- 30 tablets of 500 mg each
Correct answer: 30 mg codeine + 500 mg paracetamol per tablet
Combination product naming convention places the lower-dose or adjunct drug first: co-codamol 30/500 = 30 mg codeine phosphate + 500 mg paracetamol. This is a Schedule 5 CD in Ireland.
Question 5: Which calculation gives the number of tablets required for a prescription reading 'take 2 tablets THREE times a day for 7 days'?
- 42 tablets (2 × 3 × 7) (Correct answer)
- 21 tablets
- 14 tablets
- 6 tablets
Correct answer: 42 tablets (2 × 3 × 7)
2 tablets per dose × 3 doses per day = 6 tablets/day × 7 days = 42 tablets total. Accurate calculation prevents under or over-supply.
Question 6: The 'tall man lettering' convention (e.g., hydrOXYzine vs hydrALAzine) is used to prevent:
- Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drug name errors (Correct answer)
- Generic substitution errors
- CD misuse
- Labelling omissions
Correct answer: Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drug name errors
Tall man lettering highlights the differing portions of LASA drug names to reduce visual confusion during dispensing. It is endorsed by ISMP and international patient safety organisations.
PSI Dispensing Practice 1
What is the correct sequence of steps in the dispensing process?