Pharmacist Compliance with Therapeutic Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment Provision

Question Are therapeutic guidelines effective mechanisms for ensuring compliance in the provision of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for symptom-based requests and product-based requests in Australian pharmacies? Findings In this quality improvement study using standardized patients in scenarios of requests for emergency hormonal contraception and medication for conjunctivitis, 57.6% of pharmacies followed dispensing behavior compliant with the protocol, while 31.3% involved some form of overtreatment or overselling of medication. There was also evidence of an interaction between sex of the standardized patient and pharmacist. Meaning Given the unintended adverse effects of overtreatment, this study suggests the advisability of regulatory intervention (and further behavioral research) to ensure compliance with professional protocols.