Do you count pills with your hands?

[ethyl]

Met a pharmacist that counts everything in his palms. He counts ~5 pills at a time in his palm and is able to fill scripts faster than anyone I've ever seen.

Of course, this was after he ate some finger licking good lunch. Is this something common among older pharmacists?

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[acetyl]

Seriously?

That is gross.

 

[ethyl]

Seriously?

That is gross.

thought so too Seems he's done it that way for years if not decades

 

[FruitFly]

 

[PharmDstudent]

I like to sneeze first. It makes them stick to my hands better.

 

[soyroger]

I just want to know if he's the type to lick his fingers after eating with his hands. Of course its about as gross as picking up pills off the floor, but plenty of people do it.

 

[confettiflyer]

I just want to know if he's the type to lick his fingers after eating with his hands. Of course its about as gross as picking up pills off the floor, but plenty of people do it.

lol, i pick them up off the floor. However, if it's a cheap pill, bending down to get it is too much work. Also, if the pill falls into a really dusty/gnarly area, I won't pick it up.

But if it's expensive...oh hell, I'll pick it up, dust it off, and throw it in the kirby lester counter.

 

[evilolive]

You all must have missed the advertisements about Adult Candy: pills obviously melt in your mouth, not in your hands.

 

[Moxxie]

I haven't seen that (um, ewwww!), but I have worked with a pharmacist that counts everything with his own special triangular counting tray. He's a floater pharmacist, so he brings it with him everywhere. He'll pour the pills into the tray and then bring it up really close to his face to count the pills. He insists that it's faster, but he's honestly one of the slowest pharmacists I've ever worked with. But from what I've seen, when you're a floater in an area with a shortage, you can pretty much get away with anything.

 

[kellia]

So funny! While I have never seen this done, I was just discussing this matter with my preceptor and his boss!!! I think it's gross too!!! But apparently it used to be very common!

 

[medicalCPA]

Off topic: Where I'm from, it's also very common to pipette by mouth. Lots of people drank acid during Chem lab.

 

[tussionex]

i had a tech who would count with her hands into a little cup, like a condiment cup....we used to pi$$ her off by tossing out the cup and she would have to go to the coffee place to get another one!


i dont pick anything up off the floor unless it costs enough to expend the effort of bending over.

 

[AngelaCL]

Our float pharmacist mixes butt cream compounds directly on the counter. I just think it's funny because it irritates the manager. He cleans the counter off before he does it though.

I wash my hands constantly at work because I know my hands will contact the pills at some point. It is kind of gross if the guy is using his hands after lunch or touching money if he doesn't wash his hands in between.

 

[RxWildcat]

Of course its about as gross as picking up pills off the floor, but plenty of people do it.

We actually use our feet to pick up pills off the floor here (no shoes in Kentucky)

 

[FruitFly]

I haven't seen that (um, ewwww!)

It's definitely terrible-bad technique for a pharmacist. It's a lack of respect for the customer who ultimately trusts that his or her prescriptions are filled in a cleanly manner. Not so sure it's worthy of an 'ewww' though.

Maybe he has very clean hands. Sometimes folks don't clean their spatulas and counting trays, so that could be just as bad, too. Personally, I think consideration should be given to wearing gloves if using such a technique. (For all we know, he may have some sort of disability which he is compensating for)

 

[firefighter9015]

Wow, when our Kirby Lester was broke for a week or so, I thought I was going to die having to count things on counting trays, let alone my hands...

 

[FruitFly]

Wow, when our Kirby Lester was broke for a week or so, I thought I was going to die having to count things on counting trays, let alone my hands...

I just eyeballed it when my Kirby broke down. Except for controls. Those I double-count.

 

[xxfoolxx]

i count by 2's... 5 is just too large of a number to visualize

 

[PharmDstudent]

i count by 2's... 5 is just too large of a number to visualize

Counting by 6 works pretty well if you're counting #60. It's two less pushes with the spatula.

 

[thelonius]

I only count the antineoplastics by hand.

 

[Moxxie]

It's definitely terrible-bad technique for a pharmacist. It's a lack of respect for the customer who ultimately trusts that his or her prescriptions are filled in a cleanly manner. Not so sure it's worthy of an 'ewww' though.

Maybe he has very clean hands. Sometimes folks don't clean their spatulas and counting trays, so that could be just as bad, too. Personally, I think consideration should be given to wearing gloves if using such a technique. (For all we know, he may have some sort of disability which he is compensating for)

My "ewww" was actually more about getting pill dust all over your own hands. (Although I wouldn't want someone over-handling my meds). The type of people I'd imagine count with their hands probably don't wash them religiously, either, which is ewww for both the patient and the pill-counter, especially if they then eat right afterwards.

I will admit that if I drop an expensive brand name onto a clean floor (not if it rolls under the counter), I'll pick it up and pop it in the bottle - as long as no one else sees me do it!

 

[bananaface]

Counting by 6 works pretty well if you're counting #60. It's two less pushes with the spatula.

Variable methods just create another opportunity for a mix up.

Dropping stuff. Once I knocked a bottle of HIV meds into the dead space between a couple of shelves our pharmacy manager had built. Why there was a hole between them, I do not know. We disassembled the shelving to get it back. I think aquisition cost on that one ran like $1300/bottle.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

A lot of old school pharmacists do count by hands though although really obsolete now. . .

 

[Old Timer]

A lot of old school pharmacists do count by hands though although really obsolete now. . .

I guess I'm obsolete. I use the tray mostly, but not always. I also wash my hands a zillion times a day.... especially after I'm at the register.

 

[pharmdinfl]

I've never counted with my hands nor seen anyone do that ...I try to keep from touching the medications directly just because no matter how often I wash my hands, I inevitably have to handle cash or sometimes sketchy looking refill bottles from patients in between.

 

[Hels2007]

Yep, small amounts (15 tabs or less) I will doube-count by pouring into my palm after getting it out of the cell. Otherwise, no.

 

[PharmDstudent]

I'll pour small amounts into the vial cap. If I get an extra pill, I might put it back in the bottle with my hands. There's a good bit of MRSA within our clientele, so I don't like to touch exposed medications if I don't need to. We fill scripts for other diseases too. Sailors from foreign countries come in occasionally.
(Just recently, someone handed me their Isoniazid bottle for a refill.)

Sometimes I'll spray my hands with rubbing alcohol. I have oily skin, so it's about the same as spraying water.