Question

a patient asks the pharmacy technician to use a container that is not child-resistant for his prescriptions. which of the following types of consent should the technician obtain?

written consent from the patient
written consent from the prescriber
verbal consent from the prescriber
verbal consent from the patient

Explanation:

Analyze the legal requirements

Under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) of 1970, most prescription drugs must be dispensed in child-resistant containers. However, exceptions are made if either the prescriber or the patient requests non-child-resistant packaging.

Evaluate the requestor's authority

A prescriber can request a non-child-resistant container for a single prescription, but cannot issue a blanket waiver for all of a patient's future prescriptions. In contrast, a patient has the legal authority to request a blanket waiver for all of their prescriptions.

Determine the required documentation

While the PPPA does not strictly mandate a signed written agreement for a patient's request, pharmacy best practices and state regulations strongly encourage obtaining Written consent from the patient (often via a signed waiver log) to protect the pharmacy from liability and document the patient's explicit request.

Compare the options

• Written consent from the patient: This is the standard, legally protective practice for documenting a patient's blanket request.
• Written consent from the prescriber: Not required when the patient is the one making the request.
• Verbal consent from the prescriber: Not applicable to a patient-initiated request.
• Verbal consent from the patient: While legally permissible under federal law, standard pharmacy practice and liability protection require written documentation/consent.

Answer:

• Written consent from the patient (Correct answer)
• Written consent from the prescriber
• Verbal consent from the prescriber
• Verbal consent from the patient