Pharmacists fail morning-after pill guidelines in secret-shopper test
Almost half did not follow appropriate dispensing behaviour, and nearly one-third were overtreating and overselling
Secret shoppers have exposed almost half of pharmacists not complying with therapeutic guidelines when dispensing over-the-counter medications.
Business students played the role of mystery shoppers when they made more than 230 visits to 200 pharmacies in wider Brisbane, seeking the morning-after pill or conjunctivitis treatments.
The Queensland University of Technology-led study found 42.4% of pharmacies did not follow dispensing behaviour that was compliant with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s guidelines, while 31.3% were overtreating or overselling medications.
One scenario involved the research assistants requesting an emergency hormonal contraceptive pill after claiming they had unprotected sex more than 72 hours earlier.
