Clinical management plans need clarification for supplementary prescribing
The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen held the first residential period of its supplementary prescribing course at the university at the end of September and one of the areas of concern was how clinical management plans would work in practice.
A total of 41 pharmacists are on the course. In addition to the educational
aspects, the residential course also provided an opportunity for pharmacists
who are to be the first supplementary prescribers to discuss how prescribing
will work in practice.
A good clinical management plan is an essential part of supplementary
prescribing. How these plans should be structured, written and implemented
was covered in depth in the residential course. How much detail will
be needed in the clinical management plan was an area of much speculation
for students on the prescribing course. One suggestion was that the plan
could state that national guidelines should be followed, this would produce
a standardised approach to treatment so a more time-efficient way of
producing the clinical management plan.
One of the pharmacists on the course, Lyn McDonald, commented: “Most
GP practices have already got guidelines, such as for the management
of hypertension, in place.” So a clinical management plan could
just follow these guidelines, or similar ones at a hospital level.
Senior lecturer Dr Derek Stewart pointed out that restrictions or clarification
could be added: “The clinical management plan could say follow
a particular guideline but specify that no beta-blockers are to be used,
for example.”
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