What is the first action a cashier should take when verifying a prescription for a patient?

When verifying a prescription for a patient, the first action a cashier should take is to ask for the patient's date of birth. This step is crucial as it helps to confirm the patient's identity and ensures that the prescription is appropriately matched to the correct individual. Verifying the date of birth reduces the risk of dispensing medication to the wrong patient, which is a critical aspect of ensuring patient safety in pharmacy practice.

Identifying patients accurately is fundamental to maintaining proper medication management. In a busy pharmacy environment, it’s not uncommon for multiple patients to have similar names, so confirming identity with the date of birth serves as a specific, effective method of verification.

After establishing the patient's identity using the date of birth, other necessary information such as insurance details or identification can be addressed. However, the initial focus should always be on confirming who the patient is to prevent any potential medication errors.