Q Should drug dispensing and medical treatment services be separated?
Since the recent drug dispensing error, concern has been raised about the competency of family doctors dispensing medication in private clinics. There have been questions raised regarding standards, training in and supervision of dispensing in private family practices. The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP) would like to respond to these issues.
The HKCFP has all along emphasised the importance of good practice management (including dispensing) as one of the most crucial elements in the overall competency of a doctor in private practice.
Not only do we put much emphasis on the subject of good practice management in the Family Medicine Vocational Training Programme HKCFP, we also demand the like from our members and fellows who are in private practice.
The Practice Assessment Package is the tool which has been offered for years by the HKCFP to all primary care private practitioners for their clinic assessment. Its aim is to improve and maintain the standards and quality of their medical practices. Particular weightings have already been put to the features like inventory control, drug stocks and drug labelling for dispensing, all of which are unique in the primary medical practices in Hong Kong.
Moreover, the content of good practice management has been well covered in the course of the Diploma in Family Medicine, organised by the HKCFP for the last few years. The course is designed especially for those primary care private practitioners who may not have undergone vocational training.
The HKCFP recommends computer assisted practice management. It can not only help to maintain good standards in managing proper drug stock and inventory, but also to improve the standards in terms of the safety and accuracy in drug dispensing as well as drug labelling. (Statutory regulations regarding the proper labelling of drugs and labelling and storage of dangerous drugs, have been laid down by the Hong Kong Medical Council.)