Rhode Island Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence (MPJE) Practice Exam

If a patient discontinues a medication in multi-drug single dose packaging, what should happen to the medication?

1. It can be given to another patient

2. It should be destroyed at the pharmacy

3. It can be returned to the wholesaler

4. It can be kept by the patient

The correct answer is: It should be destroyed at the pharmacy

When a patient discontinues a medication that is packaged in multi-drug single dose packaging, the appropriate action is for that medication to be destroyed at the pharmacy. This is due to several factors related to safety, legal regulations, and best practices in pharmacy. Multi-drug single dose packaging is typically designed for specific patients and situations, which means that once it has been dispensed for a particular patient, it cannot be reused for another patient. Transferring medication from one patient to another poses significant risks of contamination and misadministration, making option A unacceptable. Returning the medication to the wholesaler is generally not allowed for similar reasons, as the risk of liability and mismanagement increases when medications are returned or repackaged once they have been dispensed. Such practices compromise medication integrity and traceability, thus ruling out option C. While keeping the medication may seem like an option for the patient, it is unsafe and not recommended. Medications may lose their efficacy or safety once they are no longer actively being used by the intended patient. Therefore, option D is not appropriate. In summary, destroying the medication at the pharmacy is the best practice to ensure patient safety and compliance with legal regulations, making this the correct answer.