Teaching safe prescribing to medical students: Perspectives in the UK

Nazar, H.; Nazar, M.; Rothwell, C.; Portlock, J.; Chaytor, A.; Husband, A.

Abstract

Prescribing is a characteristic role of a medical practitioner. On graduating from medical school, students are presumed to have acquired the necessary pharmacology knowledge underpinning the therapeutics and developed their personal skills and behaviors in order to write a safe and effective prescription (The Four Ps). However, there are reports of errors in medical prescribing and dissatisfied feedback from recent graduates, which evidence potential flaws in the current training in the practice of prescribing. We examine the Four Ps from a systems approach and offer scope for educators and curriculum designers to review and reflect on their current undergraduate teaching, learning, and assessment strategies in a similar manner. We also adopt a national framework of common competencies required of all prescribers to remain effective and safe in their area of practice as a more objective layer to the broader learning outcomes of the General Medical Council Tomorrow’s Doctors 2009. This exercise demonstrates where standard, recognized competencies for safe prescribing can be accommodated pedagogically within existing medical curricula.

Citation

Nazar, H., Nazar, M., Rothwell, C., Portlock, J., Chaytor, A., & Husband, A. (2015). Teaching safe prescribing to medical students: Perspectives in the UK. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 6, 279-295. https://doi.org/10.2147/amep.s56179

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 9, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Apr 17, 2015
• Publication Date: Apr 17, 2015
• Deposit Date: Apr 17, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 19, 2016
• Journal: Advances in Medical Education and Practice
• Electronic ISSN: 1179-7258
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Pages: 279-295
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/amep.s56179
• Keywords: Prescribing, Medical curriculum, Clinical pharmacology teaching, Therapeutics, Education.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1406986