NVQ 3 Pharmacy Services

[johnep]

Actually menthol in aqueous cream not so easy as one would expect. I would add a drop or two of IMS (Industrial methylated spirit) to dissolve the menthol and then mix that in.

With powders, these came before tablets and were a weighed quantity of the powder in a 'wrap' of paper. We had a brass trestle which could be set to various lengths to get all neat and tidy. most famous commercial product was Beechams Powders. The folded paper wrap now replaced by a sachet. Cachets used rice paper large capsules, still used for sweets. Capsules need a holder and this could be made from peg board or drilled yourself.

We used to make up morphine suppositories using a suppository mould and cocoa butter. Metal moulds were replaced by plastic using a machine invented by a company Dott Bonapace.

During the war when metal moulds unobtainable, hardwood was used. You could make such a mould very easily by clamping two bits of wood in a vice and drilling the holes where they joined.
johnep

[Tony Schofield]

This has just hit me as a huge issue. I have staff training as technicians now and I am certain they no longer need to make stuff up on the NPA course. I do send everything to a specials lab. I think I will arrange for such staff to spend some time in said specials lab just so they are aware of what goes on!

[johnep]

This is major problem in education now. I consider every student should have practical experience of how things they are handling are made. We had a hand tablet punch at college. I was gobstruck when saw my first huge rotary machine turning out 365,000 tabs an hour. Probably regarded as slow now.

I greatly enjoyed my time at Bush Boake Allen in Long Melford seeing mixers the height of two storeys and percolators same size. All gone now.
johnep

[razorbladekisses]

Originally I wrote that when we received a Rx for an extemp. we phoned the specials department and ordered it. However, apparently that is not acceptable and after reading the guidance pack it does say:

Element 4 does require 3 reports to cover a, b and f. If you do not do any extemp. preparations, your pharmacist can set you examples to do as a simulation. Stating that Alliance policy says to send extemp. prepared items to the lab. will not cover this element.

Apart from the antibiotic the other 2 are going to have to be simulations. I don't understand how I can write about how I make something up when I have no idea how it's made up in the first place.

For the antibiotic all I've got is a couple of lines, hardly a report. I'm not sure whether that is going to be enough.

In the guidance pack it gives examples of dilutions such as rosewater, peppermint water or chloroform water from concentrate. I haven't a clue as to how they are diluted, I've never even seen these products

[johnep]

Just shows how quickly things become outdated. Standard concentration for concentrated waters is such that they are diluted in ratio 1:39.

Nowadays would be 2.5mls per 100mls of finished water. We used to make up Rose water for icing but nowadays no dilutions done in the dispensary.

looks to me as if NVQ3 based on 60s learning requirement.

BTC certainly do nothing since peppermint water case.
johnep

[Steve G]

Winfield & Richards (Amazon.co.uk: Pharmaceutical Practice: Professor R.M.E. Richards,Dr Arthur J Winfield: Books) is a fantastic book for extemp preps - it got me through my first year at uni and I've just lent it to one of my dispensers who is doing her NVQ 3. If you can borrow a copy it should help a lot.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by razorbladekisses

Yeah, it's practical evidence that I'm short of. I need 3 different types of products from this list:

Topical preparations-I've chosen menthol 1% in aqueous cream. Never made it up but I'm sure I can describe it.
Oral liquid preparations I guess I can just pick any antibiotic for this one.
Suppositories No idea, never made any up
Powders ?
Capsules No idea, never made any up
Dilutions ?

It seems like I just need one more. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Oral Liquids. There used to be a paediatric iron mixture that needed to be freshly prepared.
Suppositories - you wont be able to find a suppository mould so forget it
Powders Its about weighing and paper folding - Sodi Bic powders?
Capsules - order some empty gelatin capsules (size 10?) from your wholesalers and weigh out and fill with 600mg sod bic.
Dilutions - Ephedrine nose drops as described or get hold of the NPA diluent directory (now discontinued I think) and choose from there.

Jeff

[johnep]

Mist Ferr Sulph Co was very popular until few years ago. Contained Vit c as antioxidant I seem to remember. Had a bottle made up by a specials lab and it cost £100. Sytron now standard iron syrup.

One of the old ways of getting iron into a pt was to quench a red hot iron poker in a glass of wine and drink.
johnep

[razorbladekisses]

Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated

[razorbladekisses]

Would Zineryt be an example of any of the above?

I would describe diluting ephedrine but I don't actually know the process.