Dispensary Prompt Cards in Community Pharmacy Practice: An Evaluation

Abstract

BACKGROUND Dispensary prompt cards are commonly used by Australian pharmacies to facilitate communication between staff to improve patient service quality and the safety and efficiency of medication supply. One example is an instruction to staff that a dispensed medication requires refrigeration. METHOD A March 2010 phone survey was conducted on 102 community pharmacies from the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales. The questionnaire assessed the current use and source of the various prompt card sets utilised in community pharmacy. Information was also sought on the prompts most frequently used, reasons for their use, related protocols or training implemented and pharmacies' perceived value of a standardised prompt card set. RESULTS The study achieved an 82.4% (n=84) response rate and demonstrated that the majority of participants had at some time used dispensary prompt cards (n=80, 95.2%). Of these pharmacies most designed the cards themselves (n=76, 95%). The ten most frequently used cards were identified with the majority of respondents (n=78, 97.5%) stating that they are used to avoid errors, save time and provide better service to patients. Few of the participants however, had implemented training for use of these cards, with only five pharmacies adopting written protocols (6.3%). Many participants (n=58, 72.5%) agreed that a standardised prompt card set would be valuable in their practice. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that most pharmacies use self-produced prompt cards with no written protocols. Further study is required to assess if these cards actually improve communication and assist in delivering improved medication outcomes for patients.