PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (PTCE)Patient Safety and Quality AssuranceMedium
A pharmacy technician is reviewing a patient's medication profile and notices that the patient is prescribed two medications from the same therapeutic class with similar mechanisms of action, prescribed by different prescribers. The patient is elderly and takes multiple medications. This scenario represents an increased risk of which type of medication error?
- ADrug-allergy interaction
- BWrong patient error
- CWrong dose error
- DTherapeutic duplication
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Therapeutic duplication
Therapeutic duplication occurs when a patient receives two or more drugs that have the same or similar pharmacologic effects, often leading to increased risk of adverse effects without additional therapeutic benefit. This is particularly concerning in elderly patients on multiple medications.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The scenario describes similar therapeutic classes, not a known allergy to either medication.
- B. There is no information to suggest the medication is for the wrong patient.
- C. While possible, the primary risk described is the overlap of medications, not necessarily an incorrect dose of a single medication.
Therapeutic Duplication
Therapeutic duplication is the prescribing of multiple medications with similar pharmacologic actions, often by different prescribers, increasing the risk of additive side effects or toxicity.
- Common in polypharmacy settings.
- Increases risk of adverse drug reactions.
- Requires pharmacist intervention to resolve.
Memory trick: Same class, different docs? That's duplication, causing patient shocks!