Pharmacists' views on the impact of the Falsified Medicines Directive on community pharmacies: A cross-sectional survey

The impact of global falsified medicines regulation on healthcare stakeholders in the legitimate pharmaceutical supply chain: a systematic review

“…In Supplementary Table 2 , the prominent stakeholders addressed within included studies is hospital pharmacy [ n = 8] ( 29–34 , 36 , 37 ) and the patient [ n = 6] ( 16 , 29 , 30 , 35 , 38 , 39 ). Research articles greatly focused upon studies conducted within hospital pharmacy and the impact of FMD on secondary care environments.…”

“…Within community pharmacies the main overarching concerns relate to time, disruption, and lack of ‘buy in’ by staff. According to a survey conducted by Dalton et al ( 38 ), participants working within community pharmacy view FMD as a “significant disruption” to workflow in addition to technical issues that “add variation and unpredictability.” A community pharmacy is a high paced, fast turnaround environment and from the data obtained within included studies, the introduction of an additional step in the medication supply process is considered a burden. During busy work periods the requirement to decommission products becomes less of a priority due to the need to gather, dispense and check medication in a timely and safe manner.…”

“…In community pharmacy the patient/pharmacist relationship is crucial, the impact of the FMD on daily pharmacy practice was reported by Dalton et al ( 38 ), highlighting pharmacist’s concerns surrounding reduced time for patient interaction, distraction from clinical checks leading to potential near misses, an increased prescription turnaround time for patients and subsequently, a larger workload for the pharmacist. The FMD process was described by one pharmacist as a “huge amount of work for no real benefit” ( 38 ). Additionally, studies reported that there was a belief that manufacturers should be responsible for verification steps and not community pharmacies.…”

“…These regulations aim to protect the patient which is a global priority for all healthcare professionals and the acceptance of these challenges that stem from the implementation of change for the better, to certify patient safety, is evident from the studies. The long-term advantages of regulatory implementation involve further protection of the patient through a facilitated reduction in medication errors related to the ability of systems to alert the pharmacist to expired stock, product recalls or as seen with Ozempic ® in Germany, alerting the pharmacist to potential falsification ( 16 , 38 ).…”

An observational study of the cause and frequency of prescription rework in community pharmacies

“…Pharmacists’ workload in community pharmacies is rising [ 1 – 3 ], which is partly attributed to increased dispensing due to patients living longer with more medical conditions, greater provision of patient services, and a growing administrative burden [ 4 – 6 ]. This escalating workload not only impacts patients’ access to clinical pharmacy services [ 7 , 8 ], but has also been associated with pharmacist stress, burnout, reduced job satisfaction, a higher rate of job turnover, and decreased levels of pharmacists’ health and well-being [ 9 – 13 ].…”