Patient packs
Patient packs are not working
From Mrs J. H. Brown, MRPharmS
I applaud Stuart Courtney’s letter (PJ, 12 October, p523) regarding
patient packs. How big does a 28-pack of omeprazole have to be?
We were told that patient packs would eliminate transfer between packs
and be more convenient and informative for the patient. This is not working
because the standard unit for the majority of packs cannot be agreed,
an argument which has been rumbling for most of my professional life of
36 years.
Patients transfer medicines from strips to other containers because of
storage problems, information leaflets cause non-compliance because of
daunting lists of side effects and the standard of some parallel imports
leaves a lot to be desired.
Bulk packs are convenient, easily stored, do not overuse precious resources
or generate enormous quantities of waste.
Information leaflets, provided by manufacturers, could be issued on request
with counselling by the pharmacist at time of issue. Labels could be printed
in bold type.
However, this is not going to happen since we are too far down the road
to Europe. We will continue to suffer profound irritation and cut fingers
because, although those people in their ivory towers would have us believe
that our roles have changed, for the vast majority of us, dispensing is
what we do and will continue to do for the foreseeable future.
Jean Brown
Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear
Imagine if . . .
From Mr G. A. Fox, MRPharmS
The check-out girl said I was crazy and called for the supermarket manager.
I explained that since the botch ups on bovine spongiform encephalopathy
and foot and mouth by the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
the Government has decided to have the highly efficient National Health
Service machinery take over food distribution through the Department of
Health.
From now on I explained, his store would have to supply exactly the quantities
of food I demanded.
“I haven’t heard anything about that,” he insisted.
Anyway, I showed him my shopping list.
“Looks a bit like a doctor’s prescription,” he said.
As he read the items his frown deepened.
“You are crazy! You can’t expect me to open a pack of biscuits,
take 100g of butter out of a pack or sell you 300ml of Coca-Cola from
a litre pack.”
“Why not?,” I replied. “We do it all the time with medicines,
by law, and that is much more hazardous than food. I want 20 plain chocolate
covered digestive biscuits.”
“You can have a pack of 16 or 26,” he replied.
“No, I insist on 20.”
“How do you expect me to give you 20?”
“Open one pack of 26 and take six out.”
“What will I do with the rest?”
“Sell them to your next customer.”
“How can I possibly sell six unpacked, unmarked, undated biscuits?”
“Easy, the DoH will give you a photocopier to copy the wrapper.”
At this point I noticed his eyes signalling between me and a rather burly
security guard.
“You pharmacists must be mad!”
“Oh yes, we are . . . and we are getting madder every day.”
Gerald Fox
Herington Pharmacy, Dunstable
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