A new study has raised concerns that many pharmacies are not adhering to drug-dispensing guidelines.

The research looked at over 200 pharmacies, assessing how they supplied the morning-after pill and treatments for conjunctivitis.

Research assistants acting as mystery shoppers at pharmacies requested the emergency hormonal contraceptive pill, which is considered effective if taken within 72 hours of sexual activity. 

“When our ‘consumer’ presented saying they were within the 72 hours, all the pharmacists adhered to the therapeutic guidelines,” said researcher Professor Uwe Dulleck.

“However, in the case of those who said it had been more than 72 hours, only one of every two followed the guidelines, with 47.7 per cent of pharmacists selling the pill despite there being limited evidence of its effectiveness in such a timeframe. Many also referred the research assistant to a doctor, but not all.

Other mystery shoppers requested help for either viral or bacterial conjunctivitis – both of which respond to different treatments – the findings were similar to the emergency contraceptive results.

“Only 57.6 per cent followed dispensing behaviour compliant with the protocol, while 31.3 per cent involved some form of overtreatment or overselling of medication,” Prof Dulleck said.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has argued that pharmacists should play a larger part in reducing the burden of increasing health costs across the sector.

“This is an excellent concept but it has also highlighted the importance of understanding the interplay of the myriad factors relevant in diagnosis and treatment provision in such a setting to ensure effective and efficient outcomes for all parties,” researcher Professor Greg Kyle said.

“In other words, consumers should be given the appropriate advice for over-the-counter medications in such transactions.

“It seems that is not always the case. Financial considerations may play a role but oversupply could also be due to pharmacists trying to deliberately reduce risk of adverse outcomes ­ for example, when the patient’s GP is not available late at night or on a weekend.

“We can only observe that the supply decisions are not in line with the recommendations of the therapeutic guidelines.”

The full study is accessible here.