PTCE Course Notes

This section develops practical decisions for 1. Medications. Focus on 1.1 Generic names, brand names, and classifications of medications; 1.2 Therapeutic duplications; 1.3 Common or life-threatening drug interactions and contraindications; 1.4 Strengths, doses, dosage forms, routes, handling, administration, and duration, then apply the governing rule to the facts in each scenario.

• ACE inhibitors (like lisinopril) differ from ARBs (like losartan) based on their mechanism of action and class.

• Focus on the primary labeled use of each medication to determine its correct classification.

This section develops practical decisions for 2. Federal Requirements. Focus on 2.1 Storage, handling, and disposal of pharmaceutical wastes; 2.2 Controlled substance prescriptions, transfers, refills, and schedules; 2.3 Receiving, storing, ordering, labeling, dispensing, return, loss, and destruction of controlled substances; 2.4 Pseudoephedrine and REMS restricted-program requirements, then apply the governing rule to the facts in each scenario.

• Return Eligibility vs. Patient-Dispensing Eligibility: These are distinct criteria. Return eligibility does not automatically determine whether a product is suitable for reverse distribution.

• Focus on the Waste Stream: The most critical factor in determining disposal is the accurate identification of the waste stream.

This section develops practical decisions for 3. Patient Safety and Quality Assurance. Focus on 3.1 High-alert and look-alike/sound-alike medications; 3.2 Error-prevention strategies; 3.3 Situations requiring pharmacist intervention; 3.4 Adverse-event reporting, near misses, root-cause analysis, and CQI, then apply the governing rule to the facts in each scenario.

• Safeguards (independent checks, standardization, restricted access, alerts) are a system of controls, while ‘Tall Man lettering’ is a specific technique for differentiating names.

• Focus on the combination of safeguards when evaluating a scenario. A single control is insufficient.

This section develops practical decisions for 4. Order Entry and Processing. Focus on 4.1 Formulas, calculations, conversions, Sig codes, and days supply; 4.2 Equipment and supplies required for drug administration; 4.3 Lot numbers, expiration dates, and National Drug Code numbers; 4.4 Identifying and returning dispensable, non-dispensable, and expired medications, then apply the governing rule to the facts in each scenario.

• Concentration vs. Strength: 'Percent strength' refers to parts per hundred, while concentration is a ratio of mg/mL or mg/volume.

• Show your work: Write down all calculations clearly to avoid errors and demonstrate your process.