Pharmacists should be aware of tht National Patient Safety Agency Rapid Response Report issued in July 2008 to reduce the high level of patient harm incidents relating to Opioid medicines. There are two key responsibilities. Firstly, those involved in dispensing opiates should be familiar with the products characteristics. This is achievable considering the essential knowledge of the pharmacist and the information resources available within the dispensary. The second strand concerns the suitability of the dose and route. In practice this is difficult to achieve without access to patient records but where the pharmacist does have knowledge of the patient's medication history then any prescribed dose should be assessed as per the guidance.  Pharmacists should update the CD Standard Operating Procedures to reflect this.

Follow this link to a suitable dispensing flowchart .