Master 30 NHS Band 7 Pharmacist interview questions covering clinical leadership, medicines optimization, and patient safety.
Question 7 of 30
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Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
When a patient is drug-seeking, they exhibit behaviour that can be described as demanding and manipulative to obtain medication. Generally, the patient will imply that the only solution to their medical problem is a prescription for an addictive, controlled substance. As a pharmacist, you must recognize the signs of a patient who may be drug-seeking so you can intervene by following your company or organization's policies and procedures. The interviewers do not ask how you would handle this patient; they only want to see that you can recognize the warning signs of a possible drug-seeking patient. Some warning signs include patients travelling from far away, doctor shopping, using multiple pharmacies, and agitated, threatening, and demanding behaviour.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"There are many warning signs or red flags that a patient may be drug-seeking. The most common I have seen are patients that travel from a great distance, those who call the pharmacy right before closing and ask for a prescription, patients dictating the exact quantity and dosage, and those who have seen multiple doctors in a short period. They will also generally be agitated, irrational, and argumentative when questioned about their prescription or denied a prescription."

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Written by Krista Wenz
30 Questions & Answers • NHS Band 7 Pharmacist

By Krista

By Krista