Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee: role and functions MCQs With Answer

Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committees play a critical role in optimizing medication use, ensuring patient safety, and managing therapeutic costs within hospitals. This blog provides M.Pharm students with a focused set of multiple-choice questions that explores the committee’s composition, responsibilities, formulary management, drug utilization review, conflict-of-interest policies, and interaction with clinical services. The MCQs are designed to deepen understanding of practical functions such as evaluating new therapies, developing treatment guidelines, monitoring adverse drug events, and contributing to procurement decisions. These questions emphasize real-world decision-making, governance, and evidence-based processes that a clinical pharmacist or committee member must master in hospital and community pharmacy practice.

Q1. Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of a Hospital Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee?

• To manage hospital finances and unrelated administrative tasks
• To evaluate and recommend medications for the hospital formulary and promote rational drug use
• To conduct laboratory tests and prepare sterile products
• To hire and fire clinical staff based on medication preferences

Correct Answer: To evaluate and recommend medications for the hospital formulary and promote rational drug use

Q2. Which professional is most commonly expected to serve as the chair or co-chair of a P&T Committee?

• Hospital Chief Financial Officer
• Clinical Pharmacist with expertise in therapeutics
• Chief Information Officer
• Director of Housekeeping

Correct Answer: Clinical Pharmacist with expertise in therapeutics

Q3. What is a hospital formulary?

• A list of every drug marketed worldwide
• An institutional, evidence-based list of medications approved for use within the hospital
• A pricing list for outpatient pharmacy only
• A patient’s personal medication schedule

Correct Answer: An institutional, evidence-based list of medications approved for use within the hospital

Q4. Which activity is NOT typically a function of the P&T Committee?

• Reviewing clinical trial evidence to support formulary decisions
• Developing therapeutic guidelines and clinical pathways
• Direct day-to-day prescribing of individual patients
• Monitoring adverse drug reaction trends and medication safety

Correct Answer: Direct day-to-day prescribing of individual patients

Q5. What is the main objective of Drug Utilization Review (DUR) conducted by the P&T Committee?

• To increase hospital revenue through higher drug use
• To assess appropriateness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of medication use
• To enforce brand-name prescribing only
• To replace clinical judgment entirely with automated rules

Correct Answer: To assess appropriateness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of medication use

Q6. Which of the following should be included in a P&T Committee’s conflict of interest policy?

• Procedure for committee members to disclose financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies
• Instructions to accept all vendor gifts without reporting
• A rule banning all pharmaceutical literature on committee premises
• A mandate that committee members must invest in recommended drugs

Correct Answer: Procedure for committee members to disclose financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies

Q7. When evaluating a new drug for formulary addition, which piece of evidence is most critical for the P&T Committee?

• Marketing materials from the manufacturer
• High-quality clinical trial data demonstrating safety and efficacy
• Number of sales representatives promoting the drug
• Availability of free samples for physicians

Correct Answer: High-quality clinical trial data demonstrating safety and efficacy

Q8. Which metric is commonly used by P&T Committees to monitor antibiotic stewardship?

• Number of IV pumps in use
• Days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient-days for specific antibiotic classes
• Number of brand-name drugs ordered
• Frequency of nursing shift changes

Correct Answer: Days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient-days for specific antibiotic classes

Q9. A therapeutic interchange policy authorized by the P&T Committee allows pharmacists to:

• Substitute chemically unrelated drugs without documentation
• Switch one drug for an equivalent formulary alternative according to approved protocols
• Increase dosage beyond the prescription without clinician approval
• Prescribe controlled substances independently

Correct Answer: Switch one drug for an equivalent formulary alternative according to approved protocols

Q10. Which stakeholder’s input is MOST important when the P&T Committee develops specialty clinic protocols (e.g., oncology or cardiology)?

• Community retail pharmacists not affiliated with the hospital
• Physicians and advanced practitioners from that specialty
• External marketing agencies
• Hospital cafeteria staff

Correct Answer: Physicians and advanced practitioners from that specialty

Q11. How often should a P&T Committee typically review the hospital formulary and major policies?

• Only once at committee inception and never again
• Regularly, often annually or as new evidence and drugs emerge
• Every 20 years
• Only when a major litigation occurs

Correct Answer: Regularly, often annually or as new evidence and drugs emerge

Q12. In the context of cost containment, which approach can a P&T Committee use without compromising clinical care?

• Formulary restriction based on therapeutic equivalence and evidence-based selection
• Banning all expensive therapies regardless of patient need
• Mandating single-dose limits for all medications
• Refusing to purchase any brand-name drugs

Correct Answer: Formulary restriction based on therapeutic equivalence and evidence-based selection

Q13. Which documentation is essential when the P&T Committee approves a non-formulary drug for restricted use?

• No documentation is required
• Clear indication of approved indications, duration, and authorization process
• Only the manufacturer’s brochure
• A verbal note in a staff meeting without records

Correct Answer: Clear indication of approved indications, duration, and authorization process

Q14. Which quality-improvement activity would a P&T Committee use to reduce medication errors related to high-alert drugs?

• Implementing computerized provider order entry (CPOE) with clinical decision support for dosing checks
• Removing all labeling on syringes
• Allowing any staff to administer high-alert drugs without special training
• Encouraging use of handwritten orders only

Correct Answer: Implementing computerized provider order entry (CPOE) with clinical decision support for dosing checks

Q15. Which role does the P&T Committee play in formulary therapeutic substitution policies?

• Approving evidence-based substitution protocols and defining pharmacist authority
• Requiring pharmacists to substitute without clinical rationale
• Leaving substitutions entirely to vendor suggestions
• Eliminating all therapeutic options except one drug

Correct Answer: Approving evidence-based substitution protocols and defining pharmacist authority

Q16. Which data source is most useful for a P&T Committee performing post-marketing safety surveillance in the hospital?

• Spontaneous adverse drug reaction reports and hospital clinical databases
• Only newspaper reports about medications
• Social media mentions without clinical validation
• Pharmaceutical sales targets

Correct Answer: Spontaneous adverse drug reaction reports and hospital clinical databases

Q17. When considering inclusion of biosimilars into the formulary, the P&T Committee should primarily evaluate:

• Similarity in clinical efficacy, safety, immunogenicity, and interchangeability data
• The color of the manufacturer’s logo
• The size of the manufacturer’s marketing budget
• Whether the biosimilar is promoted on social media

Correct Answer: Similarity in clinical efficacy, safety, immunogenicity, and interchangeability data

Q18. Which of the following best explains prospective Drug Utilization Review (DUR) as applied by P&T Committees?

• Review of therapy after discharge only
• Real-time review of medication orders to identify potential problems before administration
• Ignoring prescribing patterns to avoid conflict
• Conducting reviews only when errors are reported publicly

Correct Answer: Real-time review of medication orders to identify potential problems before administration

Q19. What is the importance of documenting minutes and decisions of the P&T Committee?

• No importance; verbal decisions are sufficient
• Provides legal, regulatory record and ensures transparency and continuity of policy implementation
• For internal gossip only
• To create advertising materials for drug companies

Correct Answer: Provides legal, regulatory record and ensures transparency and continuity of policy implementation

Q20. How should a P&T Committee approach off-label drug use requests in special situations?

• Automatically approve all off-label uses without review
• Evaluate evidence, risk-benefit, and consider approval with documented criteria and monitoring
• Ban all off-label prescribing regardless of evidence
• Delegate all decisions to the hospital pharmacy technician

Correct Answer: Evaluate evidence, risk-benefit, and consider approval with documented criteria and monitoring

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