Doctors should read HSA P-medicine guide
Doctors in Singapore should be reading the HSA P-medicine guide (no, not MIMS) for the classification of Pharmacy Only medicines. Seeing the big letter 'P' at the corner of the medicine name in MIMS does not mean that you can just happily verbally refer the patient to pick up say acyclovir cream for shingles at the pharmacy. This is because CERTAIN medicines, although labelled as 'P', can only be sold at the pharmacy without prescription if certain criteria are met. Refer here for the HSA P-medicine guide (Reclassified Medicines). So please conveniently pick up your pen and write THE prescription, rather than inconvenience the poor patient to make a trip back to the clinic and to the pharmacy again.
Other than those special P-medicines, I occasionally also get patients coming to look for prescription-only medicines 'by instructions from their doctors' to just pick it up from pharmacy. Unfortunately, verbal request from a verbal instruction conveyed from a doctor (real or not) is not good enough to get them that medicine. They should jolly-well convey my verbal rejection back to their doctors who have given them the verbal instruction.
Of course, for those 'smart' patients who lie about their conditions without even seeing the doctor to get certain P medications for their non-criteria met conditions, they are simply putting themselves at risk for either delayed-treatment or possibly inappropriate treatment. Good luck to them. But don't come with the excuses that you have left your prescription at home. If truely so, kindly bring it to the pharmacy because your doctor doesn't write you that prescription for nothing. You remember to make your way to the pharmacy but forget you have to bring your prescription... -___-
Cooperation would be much appreciated.
Other than those special P-medicines, I occasionally also get patients coming to look for prescription-only medicines 'by instructions from their doctors' to just pick it up from pharmacy. Unfortunately, verbal request from a verbal instruction conveyed from a doctor (real or not) is not good enough to get them that medicine. They should jolly-well convey my verbal rejection back to their doctors who have given them the verbal instruction.
Of course, for those 'smart' patients who lie about their conditions without even seeing the doctor to get certain P medications for their non-criteria met conditions, they are simply putting themselves at risk for either delayed-treatment or possibly inappropriate treatment. Good luck to them. But don't come with the excuses that you have left your prescription at home. If truely so, kindly bring it to the pharmacy because your doctor doesn't write you that prescription for nothing. You remember to make your way to the pharmacy but forget you have to bring your prescription... -___-
Cooperation would be much appreciated.
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