Change Still Needed to Improve Pharmacy Dispensing

Here’s a letter just in from a reader this week in response to my October issue editorial:

“Daphne,

I read your editorial and I think one solution is to package all drugs in compliance packaging such as blister packs. As you know, 80% of the drugs in Europe are packaged this way and in the United States, 20% of the drugs are packaged in blisters.  All instructions could be printed on the pack.

In addition, pharmacists can pull the pack from the shelf, put a label on it, and hand it to the customer. Walmart currently practices this and other retail pharmacists are trying to duplicate the model. Walmart did a study proving that they could fill more prescriptions with the same number of staff.”

from Anonymous

I have gotten more than a few of these in over the years, so I wonder why we are so slow to change?

Daphne Allen