Here we focus on Objective 3
Be able to determine how a medicine needs to be prescribed, dispensed and administered to be in accordance with the law..
First, we focus on prescribing and prescriptions
A number of professions are endorsed to prescribe.
Non-medical prescribers are more tightly regulated than medical prescribers.
Contrast s58 with s56 and s67(4)
There are two main ways that non-medical prescribing is regulated in the HDPR
Dentists are endorsed to prescribe a restricted formulary of controlled drugs (s56).
Nurse Practitioners are endorsed to prescribe controlled drugs within their scope of practice (s62B).
The drug therapy protocols discussed in the HDPR are published on the Queensland Health website.
Have a look at the Drug therapy protocols for Midwives
Until November 2018, nurse practitioners were also required to prescribe according to a Drug Therapy Protocol.
This requirement was removed from nurse practitioners, and a new category of midwives—endorsed midwives—was recognised in the HDPR. Both of these groups are endorsed to prescribe within their scope of practice.
The HDPR refers to two types of prescriptions: paper prescriptions and electronic prescriptions
Look up the definitions in Appendix 9
Electronic prescriptions are becoming more common, and happen now in some hospitals and nursing homes.
Electronic prescriptions are also being used in community settings—but at the moment in Queensland they are used as a supplement to paper prescriptions.
Prescription Exchange Services include: eRx and medisecure.
There are two types of paper prescriptions: hand written prescriptions and computer generated prescriptions. (Both examples are modified slightly for teaching purposes).
Hand written prescription. Less common, but still used
Computer generated prescription
The key regulations are s79 for controlled drugs and s190 for restricted drugs.
s79 (controlled drugs) and s190 (restricted drugs) are very similar, but there are important differences.
See for example: s79(4)(e), and contrast s79(4)(c) with s190(2)(c)
The HDPR regulates the ways in which medicines are stored in institutions and units/wards.
Storage requirements depend on the scheduling of the medicine.
What are the general storage requirements of restricted and controlled medicines? (Compare s119 with s211)
There are additional recording requirements for controlled drugs to the risk of misadventure with these drugs.
Records of the controlled drug need to be made when the controlled drug enters the ward (or unit) and when it is administered.
s103 provides the recording requirements when administering controlled drugs in a unit or ward.
What is the difference between s103 and s109?
This completes the module. Test your knowledge on this section of the module in the associated quiz.
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