Fintan Moore applies Einstein’s theory to some problems in the dispensary
Throughout history, the greatest scientific minds have grappled with the mysteries of matter, space and time. I think there’s a consensus that the universe is still expanding from its Big Bang origins, but I don’t know what it’s expanding into; and there is also the question of whether or not time is fixed and linear, or subject to change depending on other factors. Einstein once said that people used to believe that if all matter disappeared, time would still continue, but he contended that if matter disappeared, then time would disappear with it.
Whatever is happening out in the cosmos, there are definitely strange forces at work in dispensaries which lend weight to Einstein’s theory. If Einstein was wrong, then time and space should be unaffected by changes in matter, but we see strong evidence every day that the opposite is true, because as the level of matter, ie, prescriptions increases, we end up working in an ever smaller space with an ever-shrinking amount of time.
There are confounding variables that affect all of this. The volume of prescription matter is not always a good measure of the resulting effort required to process it, because the density of the prescriptions has to be taken into account. Even density itself can be complicated due to the different interpretations of the word.
The Covid-times joke about the spread of the virus comes to mind, which said that the spread of the virus increased with the density of the population and the density of the people. Similarly, prescriptions can be dense with the number of items or the complexity of them, but sometimes the intentions of the prescriber are dense and impenetrable. An increase in any form of density leads to a proportionate diminution of available dispensary time.
Clearly, I’ve taken a rational scientific approach to this issue, and in the interests of balance, I must point out that there are of course a number of religious belief systems with alternative explanations for the existence of matter, space and time. However, God may have created the world in seven days, but he must have spent a lot longer designing the complexities of the Irish pharmacy system.
It’s also hard to imagine any benign and loving deity being responsible for the existence of the HSE, FMD scanning, or OKI printers, so we’re definitely in Old Testament territory, complete with fire and brimstone. Maybe we’re all serving our time in purgatory here on earth and we’ll get an automatic pass through the Pearly Gates, but it’s more likely we’ll get sent to hell to decipher the writing on the notes of complaint from all the doctors there.
Vitamin lift
Shoplifting is a never-ending problem in retail pharmacy, especially as it’s pretty much disregarded by the police and on the rare occasions that anybody actually gets prosecuted, the penalties are ridiculously short, and often fully suspended.
Pharmacies are a happy hunting-ground for thieves, especially given that make-up stands are designed to be as easy to steal from as possible. It would make infinitely more sense for the stands to contain only testers, with stock behind the counter, but the make-up companies are clearly indifferent to the problem because they just want the stock to ‘move’, regardless of whether or not it gets paid for before moving.
Other items that are attractive are razor blades, which are among the most frequently shoplifted items in Europe, because they’re small and valuable. In my pharmacy, we solved the issue years ago by only having empty display packs on the shelf so people have to ask for them at the counter.
There are also other products which have entered the realm of being desirable to the light-fingered undesirables. If you take a look at the vitamin, mineral and other supplements section of the average pharmacy, a lot of the products are costing much more than a pack of razor blades while also being easy to lift and shift.
I recently heard of a pharmacy who had all their packs of Revive sachets swiped. The theft was blatant and spotted by the staff, so they rang another local pharmacy to warn them, but as the other pharmacy staff were on the phone getting the warning, the same thieves came in and grabbed their Revive and ran. I assume the thieves are selling them on, but if they’re that busy moving around, they probably need to take a few themselves.
There are also other products which have entered the realm
of being desirable
to the light-fingered undesirables
Omega 3
I started subscribing to Medscape emails some time ago, and while they come in a bit too frequently for my liking, they can be useful for nuggets of information on different topics.
I saw a recent email regarding the use of Omega 3 supplementation as a way to counteract the skin-drying side-effects of Roaccutane. Studies found that 1000mcg per day of Omega 3 worked very well to prevent the dryness. It’s a nice piece of advice to pass on to patients because it’s easy for them to implement without inconvenience, risk, or high cost. Similarly, other Medscape reports state that daily Omega 3 is potentially helpful for patients with eczema, so it could be worth suggesting for that patient cohort also.
Fintan Moore graduated as a pharmacist in 1990 from TCD and currently runs a pharmacy in Clondalkin. His email address is: greenparkpharmacy @gmail.com.
