In stock management, when should a new order normally be placed?

When stock falls to the reorder level

After a stock-out has been reported by patients

When the shelf is completely empty

Why are future costs and outcomes discounted in pharmacoeconomic evaluations?

Because future costs and benefits are worth less than the same amounts today

Because it removes the effect of inflation on prices

Because the price of the medicine is expected to fall every year

Because patients are expected to leave the study

A nurse phones and asks, Can paracetamol be given to this patient? What is the first step in the structured approach to a drug information request?

Obtain background details and clarify the real question being asked

Search the literature immediately for any article on paracetamol use

Reply with the standard adult dose

Ask the nurse to submit the question in writing next week

For a question on whether a drug reduces mortality, which study type sits at the highest level of the evidence hierarchy?

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials

A single well-designed case-control study from one centre

When a P&T committee reviews a new medicine for the formulary, which two criteria are assessed first?

Prescriber demand and brand familiarity

Convenience of storage on the ward

Acquisition cost and supplier discounts

Pharmacy management, pharmacoeconomics and drug information

33 Gulf Prometric Pharmacist (DHA, DOH, MOH, SCFHS, QCHP) practice questions on Pharmacy management, pharmacoeconomics and drug information, part of Pharmacy Practice, Law and Management. The first 25 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Medium
In stock management, when should a new order normally be placed?
1. AWhen stock falls to the reorder level
2. BAfter a stock-out has been reported by patients
3. COnce a year only
4. DWhen the shelf is completely empty
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Answer: A · When stock falls to the reorder level
The reorder level is set so that stock lasts through the supplier lead time. Ordering at that level avoids stock-outs, without carrying excess stock. Ordering only at zero stock causes gaps.
- B: Waiting for complaints means harm has already occurred.
- C: Annual ordering ties up money and risks expiry.
- D: At zero, stock has already run out during lead time.
Remember this
Order when stock reaches the reorder level.
Question 2 · Medium
Why are future costs and outcomes discounted in pharmacoeconomic evaluations?
1. ABecause future costs and benefits are worth less than the same amounts today
2. BBecause it removes the effect of inflation on prices
3. CBecause the price of the medicine is expected to fall every year
4. DBecause patients are expected to leave the study
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A · Because future costs and benefits are worth less than the same amounts today
Discounting converts future values to present value, reflecting time preference and opportunity cost. Without it, long-term strategies would be compared unfairly with short-term ones.
- B: Inflation is removed by using constant prices; discounting reflects time preference.
- C: Discounting is not about expected price falls.
- D: Loss to follow-up is handled separately.
Remember this
Future costs and benefits are discounted to present value.
Question 3 · Medium
A nurse phones and asks, Can paracetamol be given to this patient? What is the first step in the structured approach to a drug information request?
1. ASearch the literature immediately for any article on paracetamol use
2. BObtain background details and clarify the real question being asked
3. CReply with the standard adult dose
4. DAsk the nurse to submit the question in writing next week
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B · Obtain background details and clarify the real question being asked
The first stage of a drug information request is to identify who is asking, why, and for which patient (age, weight, renal and hepatic function, other medicines). The stated question is often not the real one. A precise question then guides the search.
- A: Searching first risks answering the wrong question.
- C: A standard dose may be unsafe for this patient.
- D: Delay is inappropriate for a clinical query.
Remember this
First clarify the real question and the patient background before searching.
Question 4 · Medium
For a question on whether a drug reduces mortality, which study type sits at the highest level of the evidence hierarchy?
1. AA single well-designed case-control study from one centre
2. BAn expert opinion
3. CA systematic review of randomised controlled trials
4. DA case series
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Answer: C · A systematic review of randomised controlled trials
A well-conducted systematic review (with meta-analysis) of randomised controlled trials pools data from several trials and limits bias, so it provides the strongest evidence for treatment questions.
- A: A case-control study is observational and weaker than trials.
- B: Expert opinion sits at the bottom of the hierarchy.
- D: Case series have no control group.
Remember this
A systematic review of randomised trials is at the top of the evidence hierarchy for treatment questions.
Question 5 · Medium
When a P&T committee reviews a new medicine for the formulary, which two criteria are assessed first?
1. APrescriber demand and brand familiarity
2. BConvenience of storage on the ward
3. CAcquisition cost and supplier discounts
4. DEfficacy and safety
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Answer: D · Efficacy and safety
The formulary decision starts with evidence of efficacy and safety against alternatives. Quality, convenience and cost are then weighed. If the drug is not effective and safe, the economics are irrelevant.
- A: Demand and familiarity do not establish clinical value.
- B: Storage convenience is secondary.
- C: Cost is weighed after clinical value is established.
Remember this
Formulary decisions start with efficacy and safety; cost comes after.
Question 6 · Medium
An ICU nurse asks whether IV furosemide and IV midazolam can run together through the same Y-site. Which reference is designed for this question?
1. ATrissel's Handbook on Injectable Drugs
2. BThe AGS Beers Criteria
3. CNIH LactMed database
4. DBriggs, Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Easy
Which statement correctly defines a hospital formulary?
1. AA list of medicines that patients can buy outside
2. BA continually updated list of medicines approved for use in the institution
3. CA price list used only by the finance department
4. DA list of all medicines available in the country
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Medium
In an ABC-VEN matrix, which category of items needs the tightest control and highest priority for availability?
1. AClass C items that are non-essential
2. BClass A items that are vital
3. CClass C items that are essential
4. DClass B items that are non-essential
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Medium
A health technology assessment team wants to compare two cancer drugs by both survival and quality of life in one measure. Which analysis fits?
1. ACost-utility analysis, with outcomes in QALYs
2. BCost description only
3. CCost-effectiveness analysis, with outcomes in life-years gained
4. DCost-minimisation analysis
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Hard
Annual consumption values for five items are: item 1, 52,000; item 2, 28,000; item 3, 12,000; item 4, 5,000; item 5, 3,000 dirhams. In ABC analysis, class A is the highest-value items up to and including a cumulative 80 percent. Which items are class A?
1. AItem 1 only
2. BItems 1 and 2
3. CItems 1, 2 and 3
4. DItems 4 and 5
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 11 · Easy
A hospital pharmacy sorts its stock by annual consumption value. Which description fits class A items?
1. AAre the cheapest and most numerous items
2. BAre only the items that are vital for saving life or preventing disability
3. CAre items with the shortest shelf life
4. DAccount for most of the annual consumption value from few of the items
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 12 · Easy
In a cost-effectiveness analysis, outcomes are measured in:
1. AThe price of the medicine
2. BQuality-adjusted life-years, combined into one utility score
3. CMoney, such as dirhams saved
4. DNatural clinical units, such as life-years gained
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 13 · Medium
A cost-benefit analysis expresses both costs and benefits in:
1. AQALYs
2. BNatural clinical units
3. CMonetary units
4. DPercentage change in symptoms
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 14 · Easy
The Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee mainly:
1. ADispenses medicines on the wards
2. BSets salaries for pharmacy staff
3. CDecides which medicines are on the formulary and sets use policies
4. DOrders the daily stock of every medicine from the suppliers
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 15 · Hard
A product has an average daily use of 20 units and a lead time of 7 days. The pharmacy wants a safety stock of 40 units. What is the reorder level?
1. A180 units
2. B220 units
3. C140 units
4. D40 units
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 16 · Medium
A hospital policy allows pharmacists to switch a patient from one drug to another therapeutically equivalent drug on the formulary without contacting the prescriber each time. This is called:
1. ATherapeutic duplication
2. BTherapeutic interchange
3. CDrug diversion
4. DGeneric substitution
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 17 · Medium
What is the main purpose of holding safety stock?
1. ATo protect against variation in demand or supplier delay
2. BTo increase the profit margin
3. CTo replace the formulary
4. DTo use up any unspent budget before the end of the financial year
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 18 · Medium
A doctor wants a non-formulary medicine for one patient. What is the usual process?
1. ASubstitute the nearest formulary drug without telling the doctor
2. BAsk the patient to buy it from an outside pharmacy
3. CSupply it at once, as the doctor's order is enough
4. DSubmit a non-formulary request with clinical reasons for review
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 19 · Medium
A one-way sensitivity analysis in an economic evaluation is used to:
1. ATest how the result changes when one assumption is varied
2. BReplace the need to pick a comparator
3. CCalculate the dispensing fee
4. DProve that the economic model is perfectly accurate in every respect
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 20 · Medium
A hospital reviews how a group of antibiotics are being prescribed against set criteria and feeds results back to prescribers. This activity is called:
1. ACost-description analysis only
2. BPharmacovigilance
3. CDrug utilisation evaluation
4. DFormulary exclusion
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 21 · Medium
A hospital economist wants the analysis to include lost productivity of patients and carers. Which perspective should be chosen?
1. AHospital perspective
2. BPatient pharmacy-cost perspective
3. CSocietal perspective
4. DPharmacy perspective
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 22 · Easy
What does the FEFO rule mean in pharmacy stock rotation?
1. ALast in, first out
2. BFirst expiry, first out
3. CFirst in, first out
4. DFewest items, first out
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 23 · Medium
A nurse asks a quick question on whether a medicine is safe in breastfeeding. Which approach is the best first step for a pharmacist?
1. ATell the nurse to ask the prescriber only
2. BCheck a reliable tertiary source, then secondary or primary sources if unclear
3. CReply from memory without checking
4. DSearch random websites and give the first result that looks reasonable
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 24 · Hard
Drug X costs 12,000 dirhams per patient and gives 2.0 QALYs. Drug Y costs 8,000 dirhams and gives 1.5 QALYs. The accepted threshold is 15,000 dirhams per QALY. What is the correct conclusion?
1. AThe ICER is 16,000 per QALY, so X is not cost-effective
2. BNo conclusion can be drawn because costs differ
3. CThe ICER is 4,000 per QALY, so Y is dominant
4. DThe ICER of X versus Y is 8,000 per QALY, below the threshold, so X is cost-effective
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 25 · Hard
A pharmacy uses 1,600 units of a product a year. The cost of placing an order is 25 dirhams, and holding one unit for a year costs 2 dirhams. What is the economic order quantity?
1. A200 units
2. B283 units
3. C400 units
4. D100 units
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

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Pharmacy management, pharmacoeconomics and drug information

In stock management, when should a new order normally be placed?

Why are future costs and outcomes discounted in pharmacoeconomic evaluations?

A nurse phones and asks, Can paracetamol be given to this patient? What is the first step in the structured approach to a drug information request?

For a question on whether a drug reduces mortality, which study type sits at the highest level of the evidence hierarchy?

When a P&T committee reviews a new medicine for the formulary, which two criteria are assessed first?

An ICU nurse asks whether IV furosemide and IV midazolam can run together through the same Y-site. Which reference is designed for this question?

Which statement correctly defines a hospital formulary?

In an ABC-VEN matrix, which category of items needs the tightest control and highest priority for availability?

A health technology assessment team wants to compare two cancer drugs by both survival and quality of life in one measure. Which analysis fits?

Annual consumption values for five items are: item 1, 52,000; item 2, 28,000; item 3, 12,000; item 4, 5,000; item 5, 3,000 dirhams. In ABC analysis, class A is the highest-value items up to and including a cumulative 80 percent. Which items are class A?

A hospital pharmacy sorts its stock by annual consumption value. Which description fits class A items?

In a cost-effectiveness analysis, outcomes are measured in:

A cost-benefit analysis expresses both costs and benefits in:

The Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee mainly:

A product has an average daily use of 20 units and a lead time of 7 days. The pharmacy wants a safety stock of 40 units. What is the reorder level?

A hospital policy allows pharmacists to switch a patient from one drug to another therapeutically equivalent drug on the formulary without contacting the prescriber each time. This is called:

What is the main purpose of holding safety stock?

A doctor wants a non-formulary medicine for one patient. What is the usual process?

A one-way sensitivity analysis in an economic evaluation is used to:

A hospital reviews how a group of antibiotics are being prescribed against set criteria and feeds results back to prescribers. This activity is called:

A hospital economist wants the analysis to include lost productivity of patients and carers. Which perspective should be chosen?

What does the FEFO rule mean in pharmacy stock rotation?

A nurse asks a quick question on whether a medicine is safe in breastfeeding. Which approach is the best first step for a pharmacist?

Drug X costs 12,000 dirhams per patient and gives 2.0 QALYs. Drug Y costs 8,000 dirhams and gives 1.5 QALYs. The accepted threshold is 15,000 dirhams per QALY. What is the correct conclusion?

A pharmacy uses 1,600 units of a product a year. The cost of placing an order is 25 dirhams, and holding one unit for a year costs 2 dirhams. What is the economic order quantity?