Medical appliances dispensed in basic type pharmacies for cash or vouchers formedical or orthopedic appliances require expertise of pharmacists and laboratory assistants concerning the assortment, payment, construction of prices, conditions for prescription, ordering, properties, and functions of individual appliances. Using the method of frequency analysis, the analysis of data from five pharmacies within a period of three months (more than 17 000 records) revealed how individual subgroups of medical appliances and their concrete items are represented in both types of dispensation. The method of the semistructured questionnaire (10 respondents) was used to find what problems are encountered in dispensation, and which medical appliances and their subgroups are the sources of the problems.The respondents regard the contemporary level of knowledge concerning medical appliances gained in pregradual studies as insufficient.

        Key words: medical appliances – basic type pharmacy – dispensation – expertise of pharmacists