Question

The pharmacy department at a hospital has received approval for therapeutic interchange of Product A with Product B through both the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and the medical staff. When Product A is ordered by a physician, the pharmacist may do which of the following?

1) Dispense Product A as ordered
2) Dispense Product B instead of Product A
3) Consult with the physician before dispensing any product
4) Contact the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for further instructions

Answer 1

Once therapeutic interchange is approved by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and medical staff, a pharmacist may dispense Product B instead of Product A without further consultation, based on their professional judgment of therapeutic equivalence.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a hospital pharmacy department has received approval for therapeutic interchange of Product A with Product B through both the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and the medical staff, a pharmacist may dispense Product B instead of Product A when Product A is ordered by a physician. This is because the approval by the relevant committees is an authorization for the pharmacist to use their professional judgment to interchange the products as they are deemed therapeutically equivalent. The pharmacist does not need to consult the physician before dispensing or contact the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee further, as the necessary approvals have already been obtained.