No self-selection for pharmacy medicines, Council decides
The professional requirement that pharmacy medicines must not be available for self-selection is to remain, the Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has decided.
The Council made its decision at the June
Council meeting after considering
the response to a six-week
consultation seeking views on whether the
current restrictions on pharmacy medicines were necessary (PJ, 3 March,
p259). The consultation document was published in The Pharmaceutical
Journal and made available on the Society’s website. Copies were
also sent to a range of stakeholders, including pharmacy organisations,
other health care organisations, regulatory bodies and patient and public
interest groups.
The Society received 259 responses, of which 90 per cent were from individuals
and 10 per cent from organisations. Most respondents (91 per cent) agreed
with the Society placing professional restrictions on the way that pharmacy
medicines are accessed and displayed, and 64 per cent believed that the
self-selection of pharmacy medicines should be prohibited. The reasons
for these views centred on patient safety issues and the importance of
ensuring that a pharmacy medicine is appropriate for the patient concerned
and that necessary advice on the safe and effective use of the medicine
is given.
Respondents who did not support restricted access to and display of pharmacy
medicines mainly stated that the reasons for this view were to promote
and support self-care and patient choice. However, most agreed that safeguards
were still needed, for example, by keeping pharmacy medicines close to
the pharmacy counter.
After considering the response, the Council acknowledged the common view
that the restriction of pharmacy medicines is appropriate in the interest
of patient safety.
The Council agreed that the current restrictions would remain in place
but that the requirements do not preclude methods of display that allow
patients to better view pharmacy medicines. Further guidance to explain
the difference between open display and self-selection of pharmacy medicines
will be published in the near future.
The Society’s head of professional ethics, Lynsey Cleland, said: “The
Society would like to thank members of the profession and the public
who recognised the importance of this issue and took the time to respond
to the consultation. It is important that the professional requirements
remain relevant and fit for purpose, and through this exercise we can
be assured that these guidelines represent the best interests of patients.”
The Society recognises that a few pharmacies (eg, those involved in earlier
trials) may still have medicines available for self-selection. The Council
agreed that these pharmacies have until 31 December 2007 to ensure that
they conform with the agreed guidelines.
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