Interestingly, the National Community Pharmacists Association was initially opposed to using pharmacy technicians because of their lack of training and the subsequent concern for public safety.[10] In the past, pharmacists were reluctant to delegate routine responsibilities to technicians. This position has experienced a radical shift due to factors such as the acute shortage of pharmacists and the need to rely on technicians to assist in dispensing.[10] Also, the scope of practice of the pharmacist has changed over the past decade, with an emphasis moving from product-based services to the provision of patient-centred care. As pharmacists spend more

time on disease-state management, medication therapy management and counseling, the technician can help fill a critical Epacadostat in vitro role in basic dispensing functions.[10,18–20] Delegation of these and other appropriate tasks to competent and well-trained pharmacy technicians has allowed pharmacists greater time and ability to focus on such patient care opportunities.[11] Most of the general population appears unaware of the lack of certification and education required of pharmacy technicians.[2] In a 2007 survey conducted by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), 73% of respondents believed that technicians were required by law to be trained and certified selleck compound before they could help prepare prescriptions.[21,22]

Furthermore, 91% would be in support of more stringent policies that would require technicians to be properly trained and certified.[17] The role of

the media in increasing public awareness of the possible role of technicians in medication errors should not be discounted. For example, in 2001 Terry Paul Smith died of a methadone overdose 36 h after receiving the medication.[23] Reports showed that 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA lyase prescription directions were incorrectly entered by a pharmacy technician and the error went unnoticed by the pharmacist.[23] In another instance, 2-year-old Emily Jerry died after being administered a dose of chemotherapy prepared by a pharmacy technician. The saline packet the pharmacy technician prepared for the child contained a solution of 23% salt.[24] A subsequent investigation by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy showed that indeed the pharmacy technician had made the error. The pharmacist on duty said that he did not detect the error because he had been rushed to check the prescription.[24] The pharmacist lost his license, was sentenced to 6 months in jail, along with 6 months of house arrest and 3 years of probation, while the technician, who testified in the trial of the pharmacist, was not charged with any crime.[25] A more recent example involved the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid.[26] In November 2007 the children received overdoses of heparin when vials containing 10 000 units/mL were inadvertently stocked by a technician rather than the 10 units/mL product which was supposed to be stocked.