Pharmacists' use of safety caps on refilled prescriptions

Investigations have shown that pharmacists' use of child-resistant containers for dispensing prescriptions has been inconsistent. Use of new child-resistant containers when refilling prescription orders, however, has not been studied. For this study, an investigator presented a prescription order for 30 amitriptyline 50-mg tablets to 50 randomly selected pharmacies in Memphis. Approximately three weeks later, the investigator returned the empty prescription vials to the pharmacies for refills. Of the 44 pharmacies that completed the study, 39 (89%) dispensed the original drug in child-resistant containers, and 38 (86%) dispensed the refill in child-resistant containers. Only 29 (66%) refilled prescriptions were placed in new prescription vials, as specified by federal regulation. Chain pharmacies were twice as likely (p < 0.005) to dispense the refills in new containers as were independent pharmacies.