South Carolina Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) Practice Exam

When does a practitioner not need to check the PMP for a new patient?

1. When the patient has a chronic condition

2. When prescribing no opioids

3. When the prescription is for 5 days or less

4. When the patient is a minor

The correct answer is: When the prescription is for 5 days or less

A practitioner does not need to check the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) when the prescription is for 5 days or less because South Carolina law allows exemptions for short-term prescriptions. This is typically intended to facilitate easier prescribing for acute pain situations, where the risk of misuse is considered lower due to the brief duration of the medication required. In such cases, the focus is on swiftly addressing the patient’s immediate needs without the additional step of querying the PMP, which could delay treatment. This protocol acknowledges the practical considerations in urgent care environments while aiming to maintain safeguards against prescription drug diversion and abuse. In other scenarios, such as when the patient has a chronic condition or is a minor, it may still be necessary to check the PMP to ensure that there is no ongoing issue with medication misuse, even if those conditions require careful monitoring. Additionally, while prescribing no opioids could lessen the need for monitoring, it does not universally exempt practitioners from checking the PMP, as other controlled substances may still pose similar risks.