PJ Online | Medicines Management bulletin (November/December 2002)

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Medicines Management
Issue no 6, p3
November/December 2002

Comment

Pharmacists already involved in medicines management schemes can look forward to 2003. As reported on p1 of this issue, the regulations are shortly to be laid before Parliament which will enable them to prescribe for patients themselves.

This is good news for the many pharmacists who are already organising and running clinics for post-MI patients, for patients on anticoagulation therapy, and medication review clinics for patients in their 70s and 80s, for examples.

Once they have received appropriate training pharmacist will be able to change doses, change regimens and initiate therapy — without having to wait for a doctor's signature.

In the first instance pharmacist prescribing is most likely to take off in hospitals and in GP practices and, in time, to be joined by community pharmacists. To mark this change in practice, Medicines Management will be renamed Prescribing and Medicines Management from the next issue. It will remain in the same format, however, and contain the same combination of news and views. The only other change is that each issue will be published in a different colour. So look out for the new look newsletter in early February.

If this is the first copy of Medicines Management you have seen and would like to join the mailing list, please send your details to medicinesmanagement@rpsgb.org.uk. Free copies are available for all pharmacists (please include your registration number) and for nurses and doctors with a professional interest in medicines management.