Docfan Academy

Some medicine names look or sound almost the same. Some packs look the same too. On a busy day, tired eyes see what they expect to see. That is how dispensing errors happen, and they can happen to a careful person. The answer is not to be perfect. The answer is to build habits that catch mistakes.

Check four things, every time

1. Name. Read the full generic name (INN) from the pack, not from memory or from the colour of the box.
2. Strength. Many medicines come in more than one strength. A wrong strength is a wrong medicine.
3. Form. Tablet, capsule, syrup, injection, cream or drops. Check that it matches the prescription.
4. Patient. Say the patient's name and check it against the prescription and the label you print.

Check at three points: when you pick the pack from the shelf, when you label it, and when you hand it over.

Make errors harder

• Do not store look-alike or sound-alike products side by side. Separate them and add a shelf label or a coloured sticker.
• Write the name clearly on the label. Highlighting the part that differs can help.
• Keep the counter tidy. Work on one prescription at a time.
• Ask a second person to double-check high-risk items, such as injections, medicines for children and anything you are unsure about.

When you cannot read it

Handwriting is the oldest problem in the pharmacy. If you cannot read the name, the strength or the directions, do not guess. Call the prescriber, or ask a senior colleague who can contact them. Read back what you understood and ask the prescriber to confirm it.

Read back to the patient too. Say the name of the medicine and what it is for, then ask them to tell you how they will take it.