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Last bastion of free speech or a thorn in the establishment's side?

Private-Rx is an e-mail forum which allows pharmacists to exchange their unexpurgated views. As a result of the messages posted on it, pharmacists either love it or hate it. Is it the last bastion of free speech or a place where pharmacists with too much time on their hands go to moan and gossip. Jonathan Buisson and Gowan Clews spoke to Private-Rx's founder, Simon Whitaker

Private-Rx arose from a desire by a small group of pharmacists who were early users of the internet to have a controlled-entry forum on which they could openly discuss pharmacy-related matters. Since its foundation, Private-Rx has expanded rapidly. The subjects discussed on the forum vary. Pharmacy politics and current affairs are a staple topic, but clinical and community pharmacy practice subjects often arise. When a question is posed, many respondents chip in with answers. Collections of these topics or threads have been saved as continuing professional development material. The topics being discussed at any one time vary and depend on current events and the number of people contributing to each thread. There appears to be a core of regular contributors making comments on many subjects, but all contributors can have their say on any subject which appeals to them. Mr Simon Whitaker explains its history: “Private-Rx was started in 1998. Before that a small number of us were using various internet forums, but they all suffered from the same problems: they were either open access, so they were swamped with people who had no interest in pharmacy but who wanted their problems solved, or they were moderated, so there were subjective problems with what was acceptable and there were delays between sending messages and seeing them on the list. “I figured that it would be easier to vet people before they were allowed on to the list and then allow them to say what they wanted. Several pharmacists had been calling for this kind of service so I decided to start it. I set up a mailing list with Onelist (a free internet mailing service, now part of Yahoogroups). “I asked people to join by sending me their details and their Royal Pharmaceutical Society registration number. Then I would check that against the Register and call them at work to confirm their identity. There were a number of non-pharmacists, who had caused problems on other lists, that we wanted to exclude.” The forum is open to pharmacists in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Private-Rx started to grow after it was mentioned in The Pharmaceutical Journal (PJ, August 15, 1998, p220). This led the number of members to jump from around 20 to around 60. “This seemed to create a sufficient nucleus of members for Private-Rx to grow under its own steam. It has had some mentions in the pharmacy press, but I have never advertised it. New members have joined following word-of-mouth recommendations by friends.” The total number of members is now over 900. Website Mr Whitaker then set up an accompanying website (www.private-rx.net) to provide some administrative support to the list, making it easier to subscribe, unsubscribe or amend personal details. “Over the past year additional functions have been added to the website. These include an archive of the mailing lists, articles on topics such as clinical governance and patient group directives, links to items in the electronic media pertaining to pharmacy, technical tips and a prescribing advice newsletter. There is also a collection of files provided by users — 'stuff worth hanging on to'.” With a reasonable base of members, some of whom are more regular contributors than others, what does Mr Whitaker think the immediate future holds for Private-Rx? “To a certain extent it will carry on under its own steam. I prefer to have it that way because I could not have predicted two years ago what it would have become today.” One new service will be transcripts and audio clips of the Young Pharmacists Group's hustings meeting for the election to the Society's Council to be held on April 29. Simon believes that anything which can be done to enhance the Society's restricted democratic process is important. “Lots of pharmacists cannot go to the YPG hustings because of time or distance constraints. Therefore the idea of putting it on the website appeals to me.” A number of other websites and discussion groups have arisen as spin-offs from Private-Rx. These include Patient Packs, which is dedicated to raising concerns expressed by pharmacists about problems with packaging and labelling of pharmaceuticals, and No Blame, a site which allows anonymous reporting of dispensing errors that can be analysed without blame. Mr Whitaker says that he is pleased to see more pharmacists using the internet. This was one of his main reasons for establishing Private-Rx: “One problem for pharmacists is that they practise in isolation but they need a constant stream of updates and information.” Unmoderated As its founder, Mr Whitaker has become closely associated with Private-Rx and the views expressed on it. Do they reflect his own views? “Private-Rx is not edited or moderated. I would argue that I am no more Private-Rx than anyone else who contributes to it. That is the crux of Private-Rx — it allows an unrestricted exchange of views. My personal opinions do not impinge on it. I do not have the ability to filter messages on subjective grounds, nor would I choose to do so. This means that the forum sails close to the wind occasionally. However, once you get into editing it becomes highly subjective.” There have been many items critical of the Society posted on the mailing lists. Is Private-Rx “out to get” the Society? “I can see where that view could come from, but it is simply not the case. Private-Rx is merely a collection of pharmacists from all over the United Kingdom who discuss whatever they want. “Many of the matters discussed on the list have been formally put out for consultation by the Society. In essence, Private-Rx is the first forum of a considerable size which allows an uninhibited exchange of views. The fact that there is a perception that Private-Rx is 'out to get the Society' is a function of the ability of pharmacists to express concerns which have previously had no means of escape. “There are pharmacists on the Society's staff who are members of Private-Rx. They could use it to promote the Society and distribute information to members. Some staff and Council members have already used it for that purpose. I have been to meetings of the Society's local branches where Council members have quoted extensively, and positively, from material posted on Private-Rx. “The forum carries criticism of the Society from time-to-time, but that is a healthy process in a democracy. Any system which does not give its members a forum in which to express their opinions cannot be called democratic. “When Christine Glover appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme recently, there was unreserved praise for her comments. The Private-Rx website now has a link to the relevant audio file on the BBC's website. It is not all criticism. The problem is that some people, who are not members, are having comments taken out of context placed under their noses. Being presented with selected extracts by third parties is not going to give a full impression of what goes on.” Value of immediacy One of the advantages of an internet-based system like Private-Rx is that it allows a rapid response to other people's comments or to developing situations, even if this does lead to comments being made which might later be regretted. Mr Whitaker says that all new technologies are viewed with suspicion: “You can imagine that when the telephone was coming into use, companies saying that they could not have one of those — the customers would be able to call up and complain. We are still at that stage with the internet. A lot of people are apprehensive because they do not understand it or do not use it, but the internet will not go away.” In a survey of Private-Rx members, presented at last year's British Pharmaceutical Conference in Birmingham (PJ, September 16, 2000, pR73), the benefits of using the system were given as updating clinical knowledge, breaking down professional isolation, and gaining contacts and insights into other areas of practice. Gossip about Lambeth was not mentioned.

Jonathan Buisson is senior staff editor on The Pharmaceutical Journal. Gowan Clews is the website controller of PJ Online

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