The present invention is generally directed to a method of dispensing regulated items, particularly drugs, directly to the patient via a dispensing
system, without
pharmacist intervention, that reduces
human error associated with dispensing regulated items wherein a manufacturer or
distributor of a regulated item establishes a dispensing
system in communication with a data base wherein a prescriber is registered and enters
patient data such as which regulated item is prescribed for the patient, characteristics such as sex, age, height, weight, etc., any other drugs the patient is currently taking or has a prescription for, any allergies to any particular drugs, substances, components, etc., reliable data for verifying the identity of the patient, and subsequently dispensing a regulated item directly to the patient from said dispensing
system without
pharmacist intervention, including communicating any necessary educational or instructional information to the patient concerning the regulated item and verifying the steps to the data base.