Risks in pharmacist prescribing

Abstract

A poster presentation regarding risks in pharmacist prescribing. Introduction: The concept of Risk is becoming part of daily language and is used in a variety of contexts and scenarios. Risk may be related to the probability of an incident either happening or not happening, about success or failure. Managing dangers and threats by applying techniques of ‘risk management’ maximises the chance of a successful outcome and limits the chance of failure. Evidence shows that pharmacists intercept prescribing errors that could lead to patient harm and therefore reducing adverse risks to patients. The question that is now posed is ‘Does pharmacist prescribing reduce this risk to patients when compared to prescribing by physicians?’. Aims: To evaluate medical practitioners’ perceptions on antibiotic prescribing and to establish the risks and competencies of pharmacist prescribing as perceived by medical practitioners.