Is the website 'webdoctor.ie' recognised by Irish pharmacies?

jeanjolie

I think this thread would be better suited for legal discussions but mods are free to move it..

I've seen browsing Google a website called that offers doctor consultations online for a cheaper price than the average General Practitioner here in Ireland called Webdoctor. Apparently one can be written a prescription by a licensed doctor who will send it by mail. This is different to purchasing medicine online which is AFAIK illegal in Ireland regardless of whether it's prescription or non-prescription.

Assuming it's not a con site, would pharmacies in Ireland recognize such prescriptions? Are they legally obligated to?

nuac

Normally in Ireland a doctor sees you, and writes a prescription for whatever drug etc (s)he considers appropriate.

I doubt if any Irish pharmacist would fill a prescription from an online doc

andreoilin

I have a friend who has used this website multiple times and has never had an issue getting the prescription filled. When you receive the prescription in the post it comes signed from a Dublin based doctor who has chosen to participate I guess.

quadrifoglio verde

nuac wrote: »

Normally in Ireland a doctor sees you, and writes a prescription for whatever drug etc (s)he considers appropriate.

I doubt if any Irish pharmacist would fill a prescription from an online doc

If the doctor is registered in the eu, it's a valid prescription, unless it's for a drug controlled under the misuse of drugs act, in which case it needs to be wrote in Ireland.

If the doctor writes a prescription, how is a pharmacist to know if it was an online consultation or not?
Even if it is, provided it's wrote correctly it's still valid.

I've used it twice for a prescription for generic finasteride for male pattern baldness.

€25 and a day or two later I get a prescription from a south Dublin-based GP.

Can't tell you the legalities of their operation but it works very well, they provide you with all the information relating to the medication as a GP would in person.

4ensic15

cisk wrote: »

I've used it twice for a prescription for generic finasteride for male pattern baldness.

€25 and a day or two later I get a prescription from a south Dublin-based GP.

Can't tell you the legalities of their operation but it works very well, they provide you with all the information relating to the medication as a GP would in person.

Did it stop the baldness?

L1011

nuac wrote: »

Normally in Ireland a doctor sees you, and writes a prescription for whatever drug etc (s)he considers appropriate.

I doubt if any Irish pharmacist would fill a prescription from an online doc

These services pretty much all (probably no "pretty much" there) use Medical Council registered doctors. The prescriptions they issue are completely legally valid

What has turned up as an issue is that prescriptions have been issued requesting the dispensing pharmacist to make a judgement call - e.g. request the dispensing pharmacist do a blood pressure check. Pharmacists usually refuse to do this - it brings in a rake of licencing, insurance and ethics issues. I wouldn't do it myself if I was one.

Dial Hard

nuac wrote:

I doubt if any Irish pharmacist would fill a prescription from an online doc

Well you'd be wrong. I've both Lloyd's and WebDoctor for my contraceptive pill and have never had an issue getting the prescription filled.

CIARAN_BOYLE

nuac wrote: »

Normally in Ireland a doctor sees you, and writes a prescription for whatever drug etc (s)he considers appropriate.

I doubt if any Irish pharmacist would fill a prescription from an online doc

The pharmacist doesn't know. He is reliant on the name on the script to know who the prescribing doctor is and these webdoctors often use a local doctor. So your script will be filled.

On the other hand I believe that no pharmacist would knowingly fill the script if the patient hasn't been seen by an actual doctor if the drug is such that the prescribing doctor should undertake diagnostic procedures which cannot be filled by a e-service.

L1011

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

On the other hand I believe that no pharmacist would knowingly fill the script.

I would imagine that those employed by Lloyds would have few objections, considering their employer operates an equivalent service.

CIARAN_BOYLE

L1011 wrote: »

I would imagine that those employed by Lloyds would have few objections, considering their employer operates an equivalent service.

Fair point, which is why I edited my post to include a qualification.

nuac

So some GPs are writing prescriptions for patients they have not examined?

Dangerous!

Icemancometh

I'd think the GP would be on fairly shaky ground if there was an adverse event.

Peregrinus

It's going to depend on the condition, isn't it? There are some conditions for which a doctor may be happy to prescribe having taken only a history, which can be done online; for others some physical examination is indicated. From what L1011 says in post #7, some of the participating doctors have been trying to get around this by writing a conditional prescription that the pharmacist is only to fill following some physical examination - e.g. blood pressure - conducted by the pharmacist. I agree, that does look dodgy. But that's not to say that there couldn't be some class of conditions for which prescription following a history taken online would be appropriate.

As a matter of interest, has anybody used this website and been declined a prescription, or advised that they need an in-person consultation?

CIARAN_BOYLE

Peregrinus wrote: »

As a matter of interest, has anybody used this website and been declined a prescription, or advised that they need an in-person consultation?

I suppose the answer to that would be a referral letter to A & E. No fees in the hospital if you get one.

quadrifoglio verde

Peregrinus wrote: »

It's going to depend on the condition, isn't it? There are some conditions for which a doctor may be happy to prescribe having taken only a history, which can be done online; for others some physical examination is indicated. From what L1011 says in post #7, some of the participating doctors have been trying to get around this by writing a conditional prescription that the pharmacist is only to fill following some physical examination - e.g. blood pressure - conducted by the pharmacist. I agree, that does look dodgy. But that's not to say that there couldn't be some class of conditions for which prescription following a history taken online would be appropriate.

As a matter of interest, has anybody used this website and been declined a prescription, or advised that they need an in-person consultation?

If they advise that they can't write a prescription based on the questions you answered, then they refer you to your gp and refund you the consultation fee.

plodder

nuac wrote: »

So some GPs are writing prescriptions for patients they have not examined?

Dangerous!

It sounds legally dubious to me as well, or if legal then reliant on a legal loophole. You would expect the doctor writing the prescription to be the one who "saw" the patient or spoke to them at least.

Having said that, I'd say remote diagnosis over internet is the way things will go. Most diagnosis (I would guess) is done simply by looking and listening, rather than poking or prodding or it might be a two stage thing with initial assessment done online, and then only if required you would go to a GP surgery.

CIARAN_BOYLE

plodder wrote: »

It sounds legally dubious to me as well, or if legal then reliant on a legal loophole. You would expect the doctor writing the prescription to be the one who "saw" the patient or spoke to them at least.

Having said that, I'd say remote diagnosis over internet is the way things will go. Most diagnosis (I would guess) is done simply by looking and listening, rather than poking or prodding or it might be a two stage thing with initial assessment done online, and then only if required you would go to a GP surgery.

Or stage one assessment in person and stage two (follow up where little additional work required) online.

Diagnosis in person and basic follow up online.