3-18. INSPECTION AND DISPOSITION OF PRESCRIPTION FILES AND RECORDS
a. Inspection. Prescription and allied records will be subject to examination by
inspectors and other higher echelon commanders at all times.
b. Disposition. Prescription files, narcotic records, and other records
maintained in the pharmacy must be retained and disposed of in accordance with AR
340-18-9.
Section VII. PATIENT RELATIONS IN THE OUTPATIENT PHARMACY
3-19. INTRODUCTION
a. Think of the patient standing in front of the outpatient pharmacy window. That
patient may have been seen by medical personnel in several clinics, in the medical
laboratory, and in the X-ray department. This person is probably tired, hungry, and
anxious to leave the hospital. The pharmacy is the last stop before he can leave the
hospital to return to this home.
b. Think of the individual on the pharmacy side of the outpatient pharmacy
window. That person has probably answered 100 questions patients have posed
concerning medications. He has also asked 100 or so patients to write their addresses
or telephone numbers on the prescription forms. Finally, he has handed over 1000
prescriptions to patients lined up outside the pharmacy window.
c. The combination of the patient and the individual from the pharmacy can be a
potentially dangerous one. This is especially true if the person from the pharmacy
cannot handle the situation. Granted, the patient may be obnoxious, but the pharmacy
must be ready to calm the patient and fill his prescription as quickly as possible.
3-20. DEALING WITH PATIENTS
a. Patients come in a variety of ages, ranks, and dispositions. Some patients
have other ill people with them. For example, a young woman may have 3 small
children with her--these children may have been vomiting all night and the mother may
be near "the end of her rope." A retiree may be chronically ill and a short stay in front of
the outpatient pharmacy window may well be too taxing for the patient. No matter how
may patients you see in front of the outpatient pharmacy window, you can rest assured
that the patient in front of you now is there for a purpose--to get a prescription filled as
quickly as possible.
b. Regardless of the number of patients you see in front of the outpatient
pharmacy window, you must treat each person as an individual and with respect. Treat
that person the way you would like to be treated if you were in their place.
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