Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Professional status of drug sample managers in the 40 FMTU locations that kept drug samples
PROFESSIONAL STATUS N (%)* Practising physician 8 (20) Nurse 17 (43) Pharmacist 9 (23) Pharmacy technician 1 (3) Resident 2 (5) Administrative or support staff 3 (8) Total 40 (100) FMTU—family medicine teaching unit.
↵* Overall, 33 FMTUs kept drug samples but 5 were located in 2 (n = 3) or 3 (n = 2) different geographic locations. One respondent per location completed the questionnaire. Percentages do not add to 100% owing to rounding.
- Table 2.
Conformity to the CMA guidelines and Rx&D Code of Ethical Practices for the management of drug samples within FMTUs keeping drug samples: Overall, 33 FMTUs kept drug samples; 5 of them were situated in more than 1 location but only 1 managed their samples differently in the 2 locations. Thus, we used 34 FMTU locations in our analysis.
DRUG SAMPLE MANAGEMENT ELEMENTS CMA AND RX&D GUIDELINES CONFORMITY ACCORDING TO MANAGERS Selection criteria Not regulated None of the FMTUs had written drug selection criteria Procurement Authorized HCPs* must sign an order for the product1 Physicians or pharmacists involved† in 27 FMTUs (79%) Reception Distribution only to authorized HCPs1 Physicians or pharmacists involved in 19 FMTUs (56%) Storage Not regulated Controlled access‡ in 24 FMTUs (71%)
Uncontrolled access in 10 FMTUs (29%)Inventory Type and amount of medication or product dispensed is recorded2 Regular inventory performed in 13 FMTUs (38%)
Register kept of samples removed from cabinet in 5 FMTUs (15%)Verification of expiration dates Expiration dates and security of drug samples are checked2 Regular checking§ in 28 FMTUs (82%)
Irregular or unknown frequency of checking in 5 FMTUs (15%)
No checking in 1 FMTU (3%)Disposal Proper disposal of expired drug samples is ensured1,2 Proper disposal‖ in 29 FMTUs (85%)
Improper or unknown disposal in 5 FMTUs (15%)CMA—Canadian Medical Association, FMTU—family medicine teaching unit, HCP—health care professional, Rx&D—Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies.
↵* Authorized HCPs include physicians, dentists, veterinarians, or pharmacists.
↵† FMTU locations where physicians or pharmacists were involved in ordering samples or in meeting pharmaceutical sales representatives to obtain samples, or both.
↵‡ Controlled access is defined as a locked cabinet, limited access to the storage location, or both. Uncontrolled access is defined as no locked cabinet combined with no limited access to the storage location.
↵§ Regular checking is defined as a frequency of once every 6 mo or more often.
↵‖ Proper disposal included samples returned to the pharmacy, returned to the pharmaceutical companies, or brought to the incinerator directly or through medical waste disposal facilities.
