Question

youre filling a new prescription that reads \metformin 1000mg, take twice daily - quantity 60 tablets.\ when you scan the stock bottle of metformin 500mg, the ndc comes back as a match - your pharmacy routinely fills 1000mg doses using two 500mg tablets. youre about to adjust the quantity to 120 tablets and proceed, but you notice the prescription was written by a provider your pharmacy doesnt have on file, and the patient is new. the pharmacist is currently on the phone. what should you do?

fill it with 120 tablets of 500mg and move forward - the ndc matched and the math is correct
edit the prescription in the system for the 1000mg tablet strength, then fill with 60 tablets - thats simpler
wait until the pharmacist gets off the phone and flag the new patient and unfamiliar prescriber before proceeding
leave it for the next shift to verify since the patient isnt here yet
call the patient to confirm what strength theyve taken before

Explanation:

Analyze the scenario and safety risks

The scenario describes a pharmacy technician filling a prescription for a new patient written by an unfamiliar prescriber not currently in the pharmacy's database. Although the technical calculation (dispensing 120 tablets of \(500\text{ mg}\) to equal 60 tablets of \(1000\text{ mg}\)) is straightforward, a critical safety and administrative check is missing: the new prescriber and new patient profiles must be verified and entered into the system.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1 ("Fill it with 120 tablets..."): This ignores the administrative and safety risk of having an unverified prescriber and a completely new patient.
• Option 2 ("Edit the prescription..."): Changing the prescribed strength without authorization is illegal and clinically unsafe.
• Option 3 ("Wait until the pharmacist gets off the phone..."): This is the safest and most professional action. In Pharmacy Workflow, a pharmacist must verify new prescribers and clinical profiles for new patients before dispensing.
• Option 4 ("Leave it for the next shift..."): This unnecessarily delays patient care and avoids professional responsibility.
• Option 5 ("Call the patient..."): The patient cannot verify a prescriber's credentials or legal authority to write the prescription.

Determine the correct action

Using the Pharmacy Workflow knowledge point, any prescription involving an unfamiliar prescriber and a new patient must be flagged and verified by the pharmacist to prevent dispensing errors or fraudulent prescriptions. Therefore, waiting for the pharmacist to finish their call and flagging these details is the correct protocol.

Answer:

• Fill it with 120 tablets of 500mg and move forward — the NDC matched and the math is correct
• Edit the prescription in the system for the 1000mg tablet strength, then fill with 60 tablets — that's simpler
• Wait until the pharmacist gets off the phone and flag the new patient and unfamiliar prescriber before proceeding (Correct answer)
• Leave it for the next shift to verify since the patient isn't here yet
• Call the patient to confirm what strength they've taken before