OET Pharmacy Writing Sample with Case Notes and Step-by-Step Guide

If you are a pharmacist and looking for a guide on how to write a perfect pharmacy OET letter, this is the article for you.

While it’s common to find OET sample referral letters for doctors and nurses on the internet, not many cover pharmacy OET scenarios. In this sample pharmacy letter guide, we have tried to address that part and include pharmacy case notes, sample pharmacy letter and detailed commentary on case notes selection, organization of information, paragraphing, word choice and right grammar (tenses, voice, articles etc).

Pharmacy Case Notes
Introduction
Body Paragraph 1 – Introduce the Complaint
Body Paragraph 2 – Possible Cause
Body Paragraph 3 – Preliminary Diagnosis
BODY PARAGRAPH 4 – Information about the patient
Conclusion – Care Required
Closing Sentence
Complementary Close
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OET Pharmacy Sample Letter

The pharmacy case notes are long and the scenario involves patient and patient’s next of kin. As an OET pharmacist candidate, you would require reading the case notes at least twice to fully understand the scenario and how to put a letter together.

This letter is written to a general physician, who will see the patient for the first time. Therefore, you have to keep in mind that the content should include required medical and social information about the patient.

OET Pharmacist Case Notes

You are a pharmacist at Riverside Health Center.

Today, 18th July 2021, Ms. Sara Morgan, a 30-year-old customer visited the pharmacy asking for an OTC medicine for mild diarrhoea for her father, who is on a visit to her place. On further questioning, it is learnt that his present gastrointestinal symptoms are probably related to the medicines prescribed by his GP for his newly-diagnosed gout condition.

Personal Details

Name:	Mr. Alex Morgan
Age:	61 years
Address:	Williston Place, 402 Park Rd, Williston, VT 05495
Marital Status:	Widower
Occupation:	Retired Accountant
Diagnosis:	Possible allergic reaction to newly-prescribed gout medicines

Discussions in Pharmacy:

Father lives alone in retirement community in Vermont. Will stay with her for a month
Complained GI symptoms on arrival yesterday: nausea, abdominal pain, mild diarrhea, headache
Symptoms started night before visit
She denied any recent change in his diet

Recent Medical History

Moderately inflamed right big toe, painful

Consulted Community GP on 16th July 2021

Vitals normal

Blood tests normal; Uric Acid 8mg/dL

Assessment: gout

Mr. Alex’s prescription was as follows.

Lengout (colchicine), 500mcg 1 tablet every four hours until relief
Indocid (indomethacin), 25mg 2 tablets b.i.d.

Medical History:

Hypertension – 5 years, candesartan 4mg 1 mane
Compliant with medicines and diet

Social History:

Smoking – NO
Drinks 10 units of alcohol on weekends
Active life, walks 30 mins/day
Hobbies: Reading, Gardening, Golf

Drug Information: Common Side Effects

colchicine: diarrhea, nausea and/or vomiting, abdominal cramps/pain
indomethacin: headache, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, ringing in the ears

Advice Given:

Consult his daughter’s GP for further assessment and management
Request the GP to update you on the diagnosis
Report suspected drug interaction if needed to Director of Pharmacy Board, Vermont
Update the patient’s GP

Writing task:

Using the information in the OET case notes, write a letter of referral to Ms. Sarah’s GP for assessment and management. Address the letter to Dr. Antony Brittas, General Physician, Riverside Health Center, 617 Riverside Avenue, Burlington, Vermont.

Let’s examine these one by one to see how you should write each paragraph and what you need to include in them.

Introduction

Approach to writing introduction is similar for most OET occupations. Information, such as name, age, marital status, gender, chief complaint and purpose, is needed.

Tip: Keep in mind that not writing the purpose would affect your score negatively. Hence, it is important that the introduction of an OET letter for pharmarcists clearly mentions the purpose.

Read the ‘Notes’ & ‘Writing Task’ given at the start and end of the case notes to identify the purpose.

Tip: As this is a referral letter, you may start by writing: I am writing to refer
Tip: Also, introduce the patient. It is advisable to write the title (Mr.) and the last name (Morgan). Refer Personal Details: Mr. Morgan, a widower,

Tip: Mention the medical issue and the purpose of the letter sufficiently. Refer Notes and Writing Task: requires assessment and management of suspected allergic reactions to his newly-prescribed gout medicines.

Note: As this is a special circumstance where the patient’s next of kin is involved, it’s would be useful to write about Sara as well.

So, the introduction of your OET letter would look like this
I am writing to refer Mr. Morgan, a widower, who requires assessment and management of suspected allergic reactions to his newly-prescribed gout medicines. Mr. Morgan is the father of your regular patient, Ms Sara Morgan.

Body Paragraph 1 – Introduce the Complaint

A sample Pharmacy OET letter should contain suitable paragraphing structure and information across paragraphs should have a logical flow. Let’s start with the first body paragraph.

You will have to compile relevant information from different parts in the case notes. This paragraph should be briefed properly and sequenced logically.

Tip: Mention how the case was introduced to the writer/pharmacist

Today, Ms. Morgan, visited the pharmacy for an OTC medicine for her father’s mild gastrointestinal symptoms.

Tip: Mention relevant reason(s) for the referral to the GP. Refer Discussions in Pharmacy. (Note: ‘Details of his living situation’ are irrelevant. These have been added for illustration purpose)

According to her, Mr. Morgan, who lives alone in Vermont, is on a one-month visit to her place.

Tip: Mention the medical issue(s). Refer Discussions in Pharmacy. It’s important to mention the symptoms to give a clearer picture to the recipient of this OET Pharmacy sample letter.

On arrival yesterday, he complained of nausea, abdominal pain, mild diarrhea and headache. Please note, his symptoms started on the night of 16/07/2021, and she denied any recent diet changes.

Now, let’s combine all the sentences to make a cohesive paragraph with relevant information.

Today, Ms. Morgan, visited the pharmacy for an OTC medicine for her father’s mild gastrointestinal symptoms. According to her, Mr. Morgan, who lives alone in Vermont, is on a one-month visit to her place. On arrival yesterday, he complained of nausea, abdominal pain, mild diarrhea and headache. Please note, his symptoms started on the night of 16/07/2021, and she denied any recent diet changes.

Body Paragraph 2 – Possible Cause

This information in your OET pharmacy letter is vital as it is directly related to the referral. Refer Recent Medical History. Please remember this information is based on the discussion with the patient’s daught).

Tip: As the case involves possible drug reaction, providing details about the medicines and their dosage should help the reader of the pharmacy referral letter.

Let’s have a look at relevant case notes:

Consulted Community GP on 16th July 2021
Vitals normal
Blood tests normal; Uric Acid 8mg/dL
Assessment: gout
Alex’s prescription was as follows.
1. – Lengout (colchicine), 500mcg 1 tablet every four hours until relief
2. – Indocid (indomethacin), 25mg 2 tablets b.i.d.

On further discussion, Mr. Morgan consulted his GP on 16/07/2021 for a moderately inflamed, painful right big toe. His blood tests revealed uric acid of 8mg/dL. Subsequently, he was prescribed Lengout (colchicine), 500mcg 1 tablet four hourly until relief and Indocid (indomethacin), 25mg 2 tablets twice daily.

Body Paragraph 3 – Preliminary Diagnosis

This information is important and is written following the prescription to maintain the cohesiveness. Refer Drug Information: Common Side Effects.

Tip: Focus more on symptoms that are demonstrated by the patient.

Tip: Even though the GP may already know the possible side effects of the drugs prescribed by Mr. Morgan’s doctor, as a pharmacist it’s recommended you mention them for clarity.

Please note that colchicine and indomethacin are known to cause GI symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps or pain and diarrhea. Additionally, indomethacin can elicit symptoms like headache.

BODY PARAGRAPH 4 – Information about the patient

Provide relevant information about the patient as he is new to the reader. Refer Medical History & Social History.

Note: Information, such as medication compliance and hobbies, is irrelevant so you may ignore that.

Hypertension – 5 years, candesartan 4mg 1 mane
Compliant with medicines and diet
Smoking – NO
Drinks 10 units of alcohol on weekends
Active life, walks 30 mins/day
Hobbies: Reading, Gardening, Golf

Mr. Morgan has had hypertension for 5 years and takes candesartan, 4mg 1 in the morning. He does not smoke but drinks 10 units of alcohol on weekends.

Conclusion – Care Required

This paragraph should include clear information about the expected objective of OET referral letter writing tips. Refer Advice Given.

Avoid Consult his daughter’s GP’ as the letter is addressed to him.

Tip: A complete understanding of a pharmacy OET letter writing scenario is also showcased by not including any pharmacy case notes which are either unimportant or do not pertain to the recipient of the OET pharmacy letter.

Add an introductory word/phrase to make the conclusion cohesive. Have a look at the case notes below

Consult his daughter’s GP for further assessment and management
Request the GP to update you on the diagnosis
Report suspected drug interaction if needed to Director of Pharmacy Board, Vermont
Update the patient’s GP

In view of the above, Mr. Morgan requires assessment and appropriate management. Please also update me on the outcome as the Director of Pharmacy Board in Vermont needs to be updated on the drug interactions if needed. Please note, Mr. Morgan’s GP has also been informed.

Closing Sentence

Here is an interesting piece of information – A closing sentence is not considered when words are counted.

Tip: It is not appropriate to write typical closing sentences as the writer does not know the patient well. However, you can include a polite closing sentence at the end in a separate

Thank you for agreeing to intervene in this matter.

Complementary Close

Use appropriate salutations in the letter.

Tip: Yours faithfully (If the name of the recipient is NOT given.)

Tip: Yours sincerely (If the name of the recipient is given.)

Tip: Write the name of the profession/designation indicated in the case notes. Give the name of the hospital or organization if given.

Yours sincerely,
Pharmacist
Riverside Health Center

Quiz

18/07/2021

Dear RE: Mr. Alex Morgan, 61 I am writing to refer Mr. Morgan, a who requires assessment and management of suspected reactions to his newly-prescribed gout medicines. Mr. Morgan is the father of your regular patient, Ms Sara Morgan. Today, Ms. Morgan, visited the pharmacy for an OTC medicine for her mild gastrointestinal symptoms. According to her, Mr. Morgan, who alone in Vermont, is on to her place. On arrival yesterday, he complained of nausea, pain, mild diarrhea and headache. Please note, his started the night of 16/07/2021, and she denied any recent diet changes. On further discussion, Mr. Morgan consulted his GP on 16/07/2021 for a moderately , painful right big toe. His blood tests revealed uric acid of 8mg/dL. , he was prescribed Lengout (colchicine), 500mcg 1 tablet four hourly until relief and Indocid (indomethacin), 25mg 2 tablets twice daily. Please note that colchicine and indomethacin are known to cause GI symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps or pain and diarrhea. Additionally, indomethacin can elicit symptoms like headache. Mr. Morgan has had hypertension 5 years and takes candesartan, 4mg 1 in the morning. He does not smoke but drinks 10 units of alcohol on weekends. In view of the above, requires assessment and appropriate management. Please also update me the outcome as the Director of Pharmacy Board in Vermont needs to be on the drug interactions if needed. Please note, Mr. Morgan’s GP has also been informed. Thank you for agreeing to intervene in this matter. , Pharmacist Riverside Health Center

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Pharmacy Letter

Dr. Antony Brittas
General Physician
Riverside Health Center
617 Riverside Avenue
Burlington
Vermont18/07/2021

Dear Dr. Brittas

RE: Mr. Alex Morgan, aged 61

I am writing to refer Mr. Morgan, a widower who requires assessment and management of suspected allergic reactions to his newly-prescribed gout medicines. Mr. Morgan is the father of your regular patient, Ms Sara Morgan.

Mr. Morgan has had hypertension for 5 years and takes candesartan, 4mg 1 in the morning. He does not smoke but drinks 10 units of alcohol on weekends.

Thank you for agreeing to intervene in this matter.

Yours sincerely,
Pharmacist
Riverside Health Center

Hope you’ve found the above OET letter for pharmacists useful. Feel free to use Benchmark OET writing correction service for expert feedback and advice.