Pharmacist Prescribing:
Prescribing by pharmacists differs from what is currently understood as
prescribing among other health professions such as a doctor.
Pharmacist prescribing describes a wide range of activities. It includes:
- Prescribing drugs to treat minor, self-diagnosed or
self-limiting disease conditions; adjusting dosages and dosage forms;
- Monitoring and refilling prescriptions to ensure
appropriate and effective care;
- Providing emergency supplies of previously prescribed
medication; and
- Comprehensive drug therapy management where the
pharmacist, working with other health professionals, takes full
responsibility for establishing and maintaining a patient’s chronic drug
therapy.
Pharmacists will assess and triage each patient as required. If the
pharmacist has the competencies and appropriate information to initiate drug
therapy for minor, self-limiting or self-diagnosed conditions, he or she may
initiate treatment. Alternatively, the pharmacist may refer the patient to
another part of the health system.
Prescribing activities can be grouped into three general categories:
- Initial access prescribing—prescribing when a patient
chooses you for advice about and treatment of minor, self-limiting or
self-diagnosed conditions, about wellness programs, or in urgent or
emergency situations;
- Prescription modification—modifying a prescription
written by another prescriber to alter dosage, formulation, regimen or
duration of the prescribed drug, or provide a therapeutic alternative to
improve drug therapy or provide continuity of therapy;
- Comprehensive drug therapy
management—initiating, maintaining, modifying or changing drug therapy
based on referral from another health provider who has made the
diagnosis or upon the request of the patient upon receiving a diagnosis.
Comprehensive drug therapy management will occur only in a collaborative
health team environment wherein sufficient information is available to
the pharmacist for him or her to make a recommendation for drug therapy.
