The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7331 p12-13
1/8 January 2005

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· Drug donations
· CAM
· Pharmacy in Scotland
· Community pharmacy
· Prescribing
· Prosecution
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· New Year's resolutions
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Letters to the Editor

Prescribing

Prescribing “is not difficult”

From Dr C. F. Green, MRPharmS

I was somewhat amused this week to discover a book on my ward containing a chapter entitled “Drugs”. In bold writing at the beginning of the chapter are the following two sentences. “Don’t worry if pharmacology seems a long time ago. Prescribing and giving drugs is not difficult.”

I am sure the beginning of the chapter is designed to encourage rather than frighten readers. Furthermore, the chapter says some positive things about hospital pharmacists, and from a brief scan of the rest of the book, it looks like a practical reference for newly qualified doctors.

In fact, the book in question is ‘The hands-on guide for house officers’, 2nd edition, and comes complete with the emblem of the Medical Defence Union on the front. Clearly, we have been worrying unnecessarily.

Chris Green
Pharmacy Department,
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

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