# \[e-drug\] Prescribing and dispensing in one hand? (13)

**URL:** <https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-prescribing-and-dispensing-in-one-hand-13/29800>\
**Category:** e-drug\
**Created:** [April 25, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-prescribing-and-dispensing-in-one-hand-13/29800 "2008-04-25T19:10:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Boyce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Bill\_Boyce](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Bill_Boyce)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-prescribing-and-dispensing-in-one-hand-13/29800/1 "2008-04-25T19:10:37Z")

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E-DRUG: Prescribing and dispensing in one hand? (13)  
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In the Indian Health Service in the United States, we had a program that  
trained pharmacists to provide primary care to patients. We found  
interestingly that when the pharmacist stepped into this role they were  
not as efficient in providing pharmaceutical services as when they were  
not in that role. What I mean, is that we found that the pharmacist  
that was prescribing seemed to miss more things that were related to  
potential drug problems than when they were only in the role of the  
pharmacist. Thus, the Indian Health Service developed a unwritten  
policy with those of us that had this specific training not to do both,  
that is prescribe and dispense. We would share this responsibility with  
the provider we might be working with. Again, the physician would fill  
and dispense what we would prescribe and we would fill and dispense what  
they would prescribe, thus an extra set of eyes were always evaluating  
care of the patient.

CAPT. Bill Boyce, Ret. USPHS  
Oregon State University  
College of Pharmacy  
E-mail: bill.boyce@oregonstate.edu