Question 1

Consider that a pharmacist notices that Rachel is not regularly collecting her prescribed medicines.Rachel explains that she wants to take them,but often forgets because there are so many to take and they need to be taken at different times.Which of the following strategies is most likely to help this patient to adhere to her medicines?

A)Explaining to her the benefits of taking each of the medicines
B)Reassuring her that her medicines are quite safe
C)Pointing out that lots of your patients take similar medicines
D)Providing her with a dose administration aid (DAA)

Accepted Answer

The patient appears to be exhibiting signs of unintentional non-adherence.This is best dealt with by helping the patient with the practicalities of maintaining adherence to the medications,such as using a DAA.Strategies a,b and even c might be useful for helping intentional non-adherence.

Question 2

When dispensing a prescription,the pharmacist is duty-bound to make judgments about the appropriateness of the medicine.Which of the following is the pharmacist NOT required to make judgments about?&#10;A)Whether the medicine is suitable for the condition prescribed&#10;B)Whether the patient is likely to be capable of following the directions&#10;C)Whether the dose is appropriate&#10;D)Whether the diagnosis made by the prescriber is correct

Accepted Answer

Pharmacists are obliged to ensure that the prescribed medicine is appropriate,taking into account such things as listed in a,b and c,but the pharmacist is not responsible for ensuring that the medical practitioner's diagnosis is correct.

Question 3

When a pharmacist calls a doctor to discuss the dose of a prescribed medicine and the doctor reduces the dose,the pharmacist may claim payment for the:&#10;A)medication review&#10;B)clinical intervention&#10;C)compounding&#10;D)dose administration aid

Accepted Answer

Community pharmacists record these clinical interventions,and since 2011 have been able to claim Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS)incentive payments for doing so.

Question 4

Pharmacists providing quality use of medicines (QUM)programs to residential care facilities would include which of the following services?&#10;A)Home medicines reviews&#10;B)Residential medication management reviews&#10;C)MedsCheck&#10;D)Education for nursing and support staff

Accepted Answer

QUM services in residential care facilities are services provided to support the facility,by influencing practices and procedures.They include things like quality assurance programs and staff education.The other medication management services are direct patient care activities.

Question 5

Competition among graduating student pharmacists for internships within hospitals is high.Which of the following perceptions of students is NOT likely to drive this competition?&#10;A)Hospital pharmacists are paid well&#10;B)Hospital pharmacists use a wide range of clinical skills&#10;C)Hospital pharmacists can have a significant impact on patient care&#10;D)The role of the hospital pharmacist is particularly patient-centred

Accepted Answer

Such competition is thought to be high because graduating pharmacy students perceive that the role of the hospital pharmacist is particularly patient-focused and that their skills can have a direct contribution to patient care.(The rate of pay of hospital pharmacists is not a big factor and is not mentioned in the text. )

Question 6

Medicines which must be sold within a pharmacy and supplied with the active participation of a pharmacist belong to which Schedule?&#10;A)Schedule 2&#10;B)Schedule 3&#10;C)Schedule 4&#10;D)Schedule 8

Accepted Answer

Medicines which must be sold within a pharmacy and supplied with the active participation of a pharmacist belong to Schedule 3. Schedule 2 includes medicines that are restricted substances that require a prescription from a doctor or dentist, Schedule 4 includes prescription-only medicines that do not require close medical supervision, and Schedule 8 includes controlled drugs that have a high potential for abuse and addiction.

Question 7

Medicine problems are linked to the following proportion of hospital admissions in Australia:&#10;A)less than 0.5%&#10;B)between 1% and 2%&#10;C)between 2% and 3%&#10;D)between 3% and 8%

Accepted Answer

It is estimated that 2-3% of all hospital admissions may be related to problems with medicines.

Question 8

Consider that a pharmacist is presented with a prescription for a medicine which she believes could interfere with the effect of another prescribed medicine.In addition to recording the details of what happened in the dispensing history,the pharmacist is expected to:

A)dispense the medicine and mention to the patient that the dose is high
B)dispense the medicine
C)call the prescriber to discuss her concerns
D)not dispense the medicine

Accepted Answer

If the pharmacist considers that a prescription is not appropriate and may cause an adverse effect on the patient,it is the responsibility of the pharmacist to intervene and converse with the prescriber.

Question 9

When conducting a home medicines review,the pharmacist makes evidence-based recommendations to the general practitioner (GP).Sometimes GPs do not apply the recommendations because they feel psychological reactance.The best strategy a pharmacist could use to overcome this reactance is to:

A)provide a range of alternative options
B)use more assertive communication strategies
C)provide more evidence for the recommendation
D)repeat the recommendation a second time

Accepted Answer

The best option here is to for the pharmacist to provide recommendations with options that maximise the capacity of GPs to exercise their freedom of choice.

Question 10

Since 2013,the Community Pharmacist Agreements (CPAs)have placed a 'cap' on the number of home medicines reviews (HMRs)that a pharmacist may claim for each month.The pharmacists who experienced the highest proportional loss of income were:

A)employee pharmacists providing services within community pharmacies
B)independent consultant pharmacists
C)hospital pharmacists
D)community pharmacist owners

Accepted Answer

The 'cap' on HMRs was negotiated between the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Australian government.It was required because the budget for the services component of the Fifth CPA had been overspent.The pharmacists most affected by the cap were those independent consultant pharmacists who were working solely on HMRs and who had no true 'voice' in the negotiations.It had a negligible effect on income provided to community pharmacist owners or other pharmacists.

Deck 26: The Pharmacists Unique Contribution to Australias Health System