Interventions performed by New Zealand community pharmacists while dispensing prescription medications.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the number and type of interventions performed by New Zealand community pharmacists when dispensing new prescriptions.


METHODS
All community pharmacies in Dunedin, New Zealand (29) were asked to use a tally system to record the types of interventions performed, the time taken and the number of prescription items processed per day. Data was collected for one full week for 20 pharmacies.


RESULTS
In total 24,059 prescription items were dispensed by the 20 pharmacies over one week. There were 1,551 separate interventions recorded with a recorded time of 1,684 min. These interventions occurred at a rate of 64 interventions per 1,000 prescription items. Of recorded interventions, bureaucratic and generic substitution problems accounted for 81%. These combined interventions occurred at a rate of 52 per 1,000 prescription items and totalled 50% of the time spent on prescription interventions. Whilst clinical interventions were recorded at a rate of 13 per 1,000 items, they accounted for the remaining 50% of time spent.


CONCLUSIONS
Half of the time spent by community pharmacists in Dunedin, New Zealand on prescription interventions consists of correcting bureaucratic and legal issues, limiting the time pharmacists can spend on clinical services.
Braund
Rhiannon
R
School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. rhiannon.braund@otago.ac.nz
Furlan
Heidi M
HM
George
Katherine
K
Havell
Maria M A
MM
Murphy
Jenna L
JL
West
Melissa K
MK
D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009520:New Zealand; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D013997:Time Factors; D057188:Workflow
D016568:Drugs, Generic; D055553:Prescription Drugs