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Self Prescribtion and Self Check ups.

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  • 12-01-2010 4:15pm
    #1
    Leono
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭


    I was wondering if any doctors on here would prescribe themselves medication if for example they had a chest infection or something, even if they wern't GP's. Suppose a man was an SHO in Ob/Gyn or even if someone worked in a non clinical field of medicine such as pathology, radiology, public health etc, could/ would they be allowed to write a Rx for a course of antibiotics for themselves or a close family member or order blood tests etc.

    Do many Doctors use a GP?


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    #2
    sam34
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,073 ✭✭✭sam34


    Leono wrote: »
    I was wondering if any doctors on here would prescribe themselves medication if for example they had a chest infection or something, even if they wern't GP's. Suppose a man was an SHO in Ob/Gyn or even if someone worked in a non clinical field of medicine such as pathology, radiology, public health etc, could/ would they be allowed to write a Rx for a course of antibiotics for themselves or a close family member or order blood tests etc.

    Do many Doctors use a GP?

    it is unethical and unadvisable to do so, really.

    you cant be objective when lookiing after yourself or family.

    new legislation states that trainee doctors can only prescribe within their own training posts, so you couldnt then have an obstetrics trainee prescribing for asthma etc


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    #3
    anotherlostie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,722 ✭✭✭anotherlostie


    It might be unethical and unadvisable as Sam says, but I would suspect that a lot of doctors and pharmacists do it. I know that when I worked in pharmacy, if I needed an antibiotic (and by that, I knew I had a bacterial chest infection, not a cold!), I would take one.

    However I would go no further than this, and actually know of a case where someone died of stomach cancer because they kept taking PPI's on an ongoing basis to treat what was thought to be an ulcer rather than going to their GP until it was too late.


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    #4
    RobFowl
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 11,667 Mod ✭✭✭✭RobFowl


    As Sam says it is unethical and not advisable but research tends to show about a third of doctors self diagnose and self treat regularly.

    This is a reasonably consistant finding most recently here http://www.imt.ie/news/2009/12/young_gps_usually_treat_themse.html in a survey of the attitutes of "emerging GP" in Ireland..

    The ethical guidelines printed by the medical council advise not to treat yourself or close family except when unavoidable.


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    #5
    drkpower
    Registered Users Posts: 5,475 ✭✭✭drkpower


    RobFowl wrote: »
    As Sam says it is unethical and not advisable but research tends to show about a third of doctors self diagnose and self treat regularly.

    Im shocked its only 1/3. When it comes to chest infections/URTI's and that kind of thing, I would imagine that almost all docs would self-treat.


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