I can’t understand that you guys are at an (probably minimum wage) employee’s mercy to put the right pills into the right container to get the drugs you actually need and not something that kills you.
In Germany virtually all medications are brought to the pharmacy pre-packaged and (as of this year) stamped with a batch number on the outside and on each inner container, so you can be absolutely sure what’s inside really is what it says on the outside.
I mean, filling the tubes could be done so much faster and securely by a machine.
Pharmacy techs actually make a pretty average salary (40k median), closely supervised by a pharmacist with a doctor of pharmacy degree who makes a pretty decent salary (136k median).
I don’t work anywhere near pharmacies or healthcare but I’m sure they do all the same stuff you described. I’m not really sure what suggested to you that they didn’t tbh.
In Germany virtually all medications are brought to the pharmacy pre-packaged and (as of this year) stamped with a batch number on the outside and on each inner container, so you can be absolutely sure what’s inside really is what it says on the outside.
Are you saying the individually dispensed medications are all sent to the pharmacy pre-filled? That sounds wildly inefficient and inflexible in terms of transport/logistics/packaging tbh.
Sorry. I thought you were talking about bulk medications that the pharmacy uses to fill prescriptions as they get them.
I’m sure there are insane repercussions to filling a prescription wrong, especially if someone is injured. There’s also usually a description on the printed label of what the pill should look like; shape, color, unique printings, etc. Though I’ve had a medication or two that came in factory packaging cause its prescribed less often and really predictably. Tbh though, it’s just not a worry that I’ve ever had cross my mind or heard of being an issue.
Are you saying the individually dispensed medications are all sent to the pharmacy pre-filled?
This is what a box of Paracetamol (a pain killer and anti-inflammatory drug) looks like when you buy it at the pharmacy (this particular image seems to be from a different country, but they look similar).
That sounds wildly inefficient and inflexible in terms of transport/logistics/packaging tbh.
Well, yes. I get that point. It would save some deliveries to store 5kg of the drug at the pharmacy and have the containers separate. There are instances when they tell you they only have the 100-dose package on hand and need to have the 25-dose package delivered. That usually happens when you first start a long-time medication. The pharmacy will then deliver the medication to you for free (at least ours, I don’t know if that’s usual).
repercussions to filling a prescription wrong, especially if someone is injured
The trouble is, repercussions don’t help any injured person. And they require you to notice that you’ve taken the wrong medication. If you simply don’t feel better, your first instinct might not be “the drugs are wrong”.
There’s also usually a description on the printed label of what the pill should look like
We have that, to, but with a gut estimate of around 10,000 different drugs in circulation, that doesn’t really help with distinguishing them safely.
I can’t understand that you guys are at an (probably minimum wage) employee’s mercy to put the right pills into the right container to get the drugs you actually need and not something that kills you.
In Germany virtually all medications are brought to the pharmacy pre-packaged and (as of this year) stamped with a batch number on the outside and on each inner container, so you can be absolutely sure what’s inside really is what it says on the outside.
I mean, filling the tubes could be done so much faster and securely by a machine.
Pharmacy techs actually make a pretty average salary (40k median), closely supervised by a pharmacist with a doctor of pharmacy degree who makes a pretty decent salary (136k median).
Read all about it: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacy-technicians.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm
I don’t work anywhere near pharmacies or healthcare but I’m sure they do all the same stuff you described. I’m not really sure what suggested to you that they didn’t tbh.
This is an excerpt from the comment I replied to:
This is an excerpt from the comment I replied to:
Are you saying the individually dispensed medications are all sent to the pharmacy pre-filled? That sounds wildly inefficient and inflexible in terms of transport/logistics/packaging tbh.
Sorry. I thought you were talking about bulk medications that the pharmacy uses to fill prescriptions as they get them.
I’m sure there are insane repercussions to filling a prescription wrong, especially if someone is injured. There’s also usually a description on the printed label of what the pill should look like; shape, color, unique printings, etc. Though I’ve had a medication or two that came in factory packaging cause its prescribed less often and really predictably. Tbh though, it’s just not a worry that I’ve ever had cross my mind or heard of being an issue.
This is what a box of Paracetamol (a pain killer and anti-inflammatory drug) looks like when you buy it at the pharmacy (this particular image seems to be from a different country, but they look similar).
Well, yes. I get that point. It would save some deliveries to store 5kg of the drug at the pharmacy and have the containers separate. There are instances when they tell you they only have the 100-dose package on hand and need to have the 25-dose package delivered. That usually happens when you first start a long-time medication. The pharmacy will then deliver the medication to you for free (at least ours, I don’t know if that’s usual).
The trouble is, repercussions don’t help any injured person. And they require you to notice that you’ve taken the wrong medication. If you simply don’t feel better, your first instinct might not be “the drugs are wrong”.
We have that, to, but with a gut estimate of around 10,000 different drugs in circulation, that doesn’t really help with distinguishing them safely.