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Homepage Pharmaceutical
Opinion and the patientQuestion from the patient |
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 1. Who are the recipients of the Pharmaceutical Opinion ?
2. Is the Pharmaceutical Opinion legal ?
3. Does the Pharmaceutical Opinion engage the pharmacist's responsibility ?
4. Is the Pharmaceutical Opinion confidential ?
5. Why would the pharmacist question the physician's prescription ?
6. Does the Pharmaceutical Opinion concern generic drugs ?
7. What does the practice of the pharmaceutical change for the pharmacist ?
8. Are Pharmaceutical Opinions kept ?
9. Can a technician formulate a Pharmaceutical Opinion ?
10. How does the Pharmaceutical Opinion result in better patient follow-up ?
1. Who are the recipients of the Pharmaceutical Opinion ?
The Pharmaceutical Opinion is sent to the prescribing physician when required by regulations or when the pharmacist decides it worthwhile. The aim is to enable the practitioner to react within a useful period of time.
The patient has the right to access information concerning him or her.
2. Is the Pharmaceutical Opinion legal ?
The source of the Pharmaceutical Opinion is in the French Public Health Code. The pharmaceutical analysis
(art. R. 5015-48)
must take the patient's personal characteristics of the patient into account
(art. R. 5015-60 et L. 5125-23). « The interest of the patient's health » is at the heart of the public health mission of the pharmacist. The Pharmaceutical Opinion is thus not new in terms of legislation. The only new feature is its computerized format presentation.
3. Does the Pharmaceutical Opinion engage the pharmacist's responsibility ?
Every time a health care product is delivered, with or without a prescription, the pharmacist's responsibility is engaged, whether his participation is limited to simply receiving payment or takes the form of a Pharmaceutical Opinion.
4. Is the Pharmaceutical Opinion confidential ?
The Pharmaceutical Opinion is naturally covered by professional secrecy. Transmission to a third party not expressly certified may result in penal sanctions.
The pharmacist who is subjected to professional secrecy must thus ensure the confidentiality of transmission of the Pharmaceutical Opinion.
5. Why would the pharmacist question the physician's prescription ?
The pharmacist does not question the physician's prescription per se . Within the limits of his scientific competence, his legal mission is to ensure that the medicine, whether or not a prescription item, is correctly used.
Every time his analysis concludes that:
• security, (pharmacological risks related to medicines, interactions between the products, or with the patient profile),
• efficacy, (consistency, dosage, form, compliance with treatment, etc.),
• comfort (pharmaceutical or unsuited form of packaging, etc.),
• economics (rationalised health care expenditures, etc.),
do not meet « the interest of the patient's health », the pharmacist is obligated to intervene in cooperation with the physician if the situation requires it, which may result in suspension, modification or even a refusal to deliver the product(s) in question.
6. Does the Pharmaceutical Opinion concern generic drugs ?
Yes, just like all medicines : a generic brand is a medicine just like any others!
7. What does the practice of the Pharmaceutical Opinion change for the pharmacist ?
Nothing as regards of basic principles, since the Pharmaceutical Opinion is the formal representation of an act already defined in the French Public Health Code and by which all pharmacists are bound.
This qualitative approach enables a genuine follow-up of the patient to be developed, a much finer prevention of the risks of failure and drug accidents, and recommendations adapted to each patient's personal characteristics.
8. Are Pharmaceutical Opinions kept ?
Yes, they are stored with the patient's agreement and in compliance with existing legislation. The recording of successive Pharmaceutical Opinions enables the patient profile to be established and thus optimise his follow-up. The file constituted is entirely protected by professional secrecy, just as the physician's patient file.
9. Can a technician formulate a Pharmaceutical Opinion ?
A technician can deliver only under the responsibility and effective control of a pharmacist.
If there is an incident justifying a suspension, a modification or even a refusal to deliver, the Pharmaceutical Opinion can be formulated only by a pharmacist.
10. How does the Pharmaceutical Opinion result in better patient follow-up ?
The Pharmaceutical Opinion process may involve questioning the patient, even the prescribing physician, consultation of the past history of delivery, interrogation of a drug interactions database, the search for information from drug companies, hospital departments, etc.
This information is a dataset required for more effective dispensing of health care products. Recording them at each delivery ensures that the dynamics of the patient over time will be taken into account, and a better therapeutic surveillance will thus be assured.
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