A pharmacist or a pharmacy technician who engages in dispensing must ensure that their dispensing activities are recorded in a clear audit trail (Standard 7.16, Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians).
Creating an audit trail need not be an onerous process. Any method that allows identification of each step in the process and the person who completed that step is acceptable.
The following illustration shows a simple cross-hatch configuration that could be placed on a prescription or a transaction record. Each person simply enters their initials after they have completed their task. This is acceptable audit trail documentation for dispensing.
Standard reference
Requirement for an audit trail of the dispensing process
7.16 A pharmacist or a pharmacy technician who engages in dispensing must ensure that their dispensing activities are recorded in a clear audit trail that identifies:
a) all individuals who were involved in the processing of a prescription and dispensing of the drug, and
b) the role of each individual.
7.17 If more than one regulated member of the college is involved in dispensing a drug, they must work together to ensure that:
a) the role and responsibility of each regulated member is clear,
b) each step required to be performed is properly performed, and
c) the audit trail clearly identifies the regulated member that fulfilled each role and responsibility.
