Question

question 114

a pharmacy technician receives a prescription and notices the prescribers signature is missing. which of the following actions should the technician take?

• dispense the medication and note the missing signature in the patients file.
• assume the signature was accidentally omitted and proceed with filling.
• return the prescription to the patient and ask them to get it signed before returning.
• notify the pharmacist so that authorization can be obtained from the prescribers office before dispensing.

Explanation:

Identify the clinical issue

The pharmacy technician has identified a missing prescriber signature on a prescription. A signature is a legal requirement for a prescription to be valid. Dispensing a medication without a valid signature is illegal and unsafe.

Evaluate technician scope of practice

Under Pharmacy Technician Duties, a technician can perform administrative and technical tasks but cannot independently resolve clinical or legal issues regarding prescription validity. The technician must not dispense the medication or assume the omission was accidental.

Determine the correct workflow

According to standard Prescription Verification protocols, when a critical element like a signature is missing, the technician must escalate the issue. The correct procedure is to notify the pharmacist, who can then contact the prescriber's office to obtain proper authorization or a new, valid prescription before dispensing. Returning the prescription to the patient to get it signed is impractical and unsafe.

Answer:

• Dispense the medication and note the missing signature in the patient's file.
• Assume the signature was accidentally omitted and proceed with filling.
• Return the prescription to the patient and ask them to get it signed before returning.
• Notify the pharmacist so that authorization can be obtained from the prescriber's office before dispensing. (Correct answer)