Independent Prescribing

Hi guys. I am a pharmacist currently working in a hospital in the UK. Over here,there has been independent prescribing since the mid 2000s.

Pharmacists run Asthma clinics, warfarin clinics and many others. As a hospital pharmacist, it allows us to correct obvious prescribing mistakes without trying to find a doctor.

Do you think this is something that could ever happen in Ireland? I would interested in knowing if doctors here would think this is a good idea or a bad idea?

Vorsprung

This would strike me as progressive. As such, unlikely to be seen here anytime soon.

Hospital pharmacists are poorly engaged with inpatient teams, do not join ward rounds in most hospitals and are not widely regarded to be part of the MDT.

If you're thinking about coming back, I think you'd find that your role would be diminished.

Vorsprung

Vorsprung wrote: »

This would strike me as progressive. As such, unlikely to be seen here anytime soon.

Hospital pharmacists are poorly engaged with inpatient teams, do not join ward rounds in most hospitals and are not widely regarded to be part of the MDT.

If you're thinking about coming back, I think you'd find that your role would be diminished.

Ah really. That's disappointing to hear. I do ward rounds. Is there a reason why they don't? I'm not particularly aware of the Irish
system

echo beach

Unfortunately Vorsprung is correct. The idea of multi-disciplinary working gets a lot of lip-service and lots of reports but in practice it is often a different matter.

Morale in hospital pharmacy is as poor as that in medicine or nursing but because of the much smaller numbers you don't hear about it as often. The ban on recruitment and on replacing staff on maternity leave has hit hard because of the greater number of females in hospital pharmacy (both pharmacists and technicians) and staff are pressed to maintain the supply role never mind progress to more clinical roles, although there are of course exceptions.

This document http://www.thepsi.ie/Libraries/Publications/PSI_Hospital_Baseline_Study_Report_2012.sflb.ashx will fill you in on the current situation which most would put at least 10-15 years behind the UK.

That is depressing reading. I am guessing there is no electronic prescribing in Ireland.

locum-motion

Deleted User wrote: »

That is depressing reading. I am guessing there is no electronic prescribing in Ireland.

Nope. Not yet, anyway.

L1011

Deleted User wrote: »

That is depressing reading. I am guessing there is no electronic prescribing in Ireland.

Nothing that doesn't still legally require the paper to turn up too. Nearest there is are vendor-specific systems that "notify" the pharmacist that a prescription has been produced - but that isn't a prescription.

Rucking_Fetard

The iceberg that hit the Titanic moved faster then improvements here.

Eurovisionmad

From what I have heard from some pharmacists, in smaller county general hospitals the pharmacist position is part-time and just really there to order in medicines and maintain records.

Eurovisionmad

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

From what I have heard from some pharmacists, in smaller county general hospitals the pharmacist position is part-time and just really there to order in medicines and maintain records.

This in reality, a really poor use of a pharmacist. So annoying seeing how limited pharmacists are in Ireland. I'm not saying the UK is perfect but they seem to be progressing at least.

Vorsprung

It's a leadership thing, there's no figurehead to grab the profession by the balls and drag it forward.