Pharmacists' responsibility and potential liability regarding generic substitition

Abstract

The generic medicines market in Australia is continuously growing and there is a push by the government towards generic substitution. However, generic dispensing places additional time constraints on pharmacists. There is also an increased need for professional judgement, and hence increased risk of error. Generic dispensing consequently places an increased responsibility on pharmacists, with a subsequent increased practice and liability risk. It is therefore important that pharmacists implement good practice standards and guidelines in order to manage their liability with regard to generic dispensing in both community and hospital pharmacy practice.