Question

question 66
a pharmacy technician is processing a prescription and realizes the quantity written is not consistent with the directions. the directions read 1 tablet daily and the quantity written is 14 tablets, but the days supply written is 60 days. which of the following should the technician do?

dispense 60 tablets to match the days supply.
alert the pharmacist to the discrepancy before processing the prescription.
call the patient to determine how many tablets they want.
dispense 14 tablets and enter a 14-day supply.

Explanation:

Identify the discrepancy

Using the Prescription Clarification and Pharmacy Technician Duties knowledge points

• The directions specify "1 tablet daily".
• The written quantity is 14 tablets (which corresponds to a 14-day supply).
• The written days' supply is 60 days (which would require 60 tablets).
• There is a clear mismatch between the written quantity and the written days' supply.

Determine the appropriate action

Using the Pharmacy Technician Duties knowledge point

• A pharmacy technician cannot independently alter prescription parameters (such as changing the quantity to 60 or changing the days' supply to 14) without pharmacist intervention or prescriber verification.
• When a discrepancy or potential error is identified on a prescription, the technician must alert the pharmacist to resolve the issue before processing.

Answer:

• Dispense 60 tablets to match the days' supply.
• Alert the pharmacist to the discrepancy before processing the prescription. (Correct answer)
• Call the patient to determine how many tablets they want.
• Dispense 14 tablets and enter a 14-day supply.