The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7278 p774
6 December 2003

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  Drug interaction alerts
  Emollients
  Tacrolimus
  Dispensing
  Community pharmacy
  Hospital pharmacy
  Packaging
  Modernisation
  Pharmacy contract

Letters to the Editor

Dispensing

Open dispensaries are distracting

From Ms S. Coyle, MRPharmS

I am in total agreement with Judith Rees’s comments about open dispensaries and patient confidentiality (PJ, 22 November, p709). I work occasionally as a locum and have worked once in such a dispensary. I am in no hurry to repeat this experience. I found it extremely distracting and was concerned that customers were able to read the details on prescriptions I was checking, as well as seeing what I was putting into bags and handing to patients. A checking pharmacist (or technician) needs to concentrate on the task in hand and I do not think this is made easy by the design of some open dispensaries. I am all for pharmacists being available to customers, but they should not be able to watch other peoples’ prescriptions being dispensed and checked.

Susan Coyle
Practice Pharmacist
London Road Surgery
Carlisle, Cumbria

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