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Sarah-Jane Heal, MRPharmS, is lead
formulary pharmacist at West Herts Hospital NHS Trust (at time
of study, joint formulary
pharmacist, Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust)
Nicola Challinor is prescribing analyst,
Plymouth Teaching PCT
Chris Roome, MRPharmS, is interface development
pharmacist, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Foundation Trust
Shivaun Gammie, PhD, MRPharmS, is strategic pharmaceutical
adviser and
Julian Thorne, PhD, MRPharmS, is formulary pharmacist at Torbay
Care Trust.
Michael Wilcock, MRPharmS, is head of the prescribing support unit
at Central Cornwall PCT.
Correspondence to:
Michael Wilcock
Pharmacy Department,
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Truro TR1 3LJ
e-mail mike.wilcock@centralpct.cornwall.nhs.uk |
Abstract
Aim
To ascertain the views of GPs in relation to their use of, and how they value, their local joint formulary.
Design
Questionnaire survey.
Subjects and setting
All 1,099 GP principals practising and employed by the 11 primary care
trusts in the South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority.
Results
Of the 470 respondents, 84% had their own hard copy of their joint formulary,
and 34% had accessed their intranet formulary. 48% said they used their
joint formulary to guide prescribing once a week or more, and 20% stated
they referred to their joint formulary frequently to assist in the choice
of drug therapy during individual patient consultations. Most GPs agreed
that a joint formulary is a useful means of promoting consistent prescribing
across the primary/secondary care interface, and that their approach to
prescribing had been influenced by, and had improved since, its introduction.
93% agreed that their joint formulary has an educational value attached
to it, and 87% welcomed feedback on adherence to the joint formulary. Only
39% had noticed any influence of the joint formulary on hospital prescribing.
Free text comments to open questions on the joint formulary concept and
how formularies should develop were broadly positive although some GPs
did express negative views.
Conclusions
Overall GPs’ comments on their joint formularies were positive especially
around the educational value of such a document and the potential for improving
prescribing across the interface. However there were concerns from GPs
about how the formulary is actually implemented and followed within secondary
care.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal