Volunteer pharmacists hope to prevent cases of negligence
A group of volunteer pharmacists has pioneered a visiting project to help homes for the elderly strengthen drug safety and combat medical negligence.
Started in February, the Visiting Pharmacist Officer Programme, developed by the Hong Kong Pharmacists Association, involves a volunteer going to a home for the elderly once a month to teach owners, nurses and health workers how to dispense and administer drugs and monitor what they do.
Most homes for the elderly have no pharmacy service and staff receive little training.
'They are so short-staffed and many overworked health workers are very busy,' said William Chui Chun-ming, education director of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists.
'Many don't know how to dispense and administer medicines given to each elderly person and sometimes give wrong medicines.'
Homes are not required to employ registered pharmacists to monitor drug dispensing.
