Psychiatr. praxi 2019; 20(1): 45-46
Why medications cannot be dispensed in an outpatient setting
- Psychiatrická nemocnice Bohnice
It is a common practice for psychiatrists while on duty at a hospital’s central admission office, a crisis centre, or an outpatient unit to dispense medications to outpatients to take away home (from the hospital’s or unit’s property). This practice is not in accordance with the law. The Act on Pharmaceuticals explicitly prohibits medications from being dispensed in any way other than in accordance with the Act, with medications at outpatient units only being allowed, under certain legislation, to be dispensed by psychiatrists when providing replacement therapy, and by general practitioners, general paediatricians, and emergency medical service doctors only in the case of emergency medical care and when no pharmacy is available; vaccination and approved research are the only other exemptions from this Act. Except for these settings, a pharmacy is the only place where a patient may obtain their medication.
Keywords: medication, outpatient unit, hospital, pharmacy
Published: April 5, 2019 Show citation
