Thursday, December 29, 2005
Article from MPS
On the other hand, members from the British Medical Association are voicing their disapproval over this move.
However pharmacists are already working as independent prescribers whenever they respond to customer needs with pharmacy-only items. It is a joint diagnosis basing on the symptoms put forward by the patient. Pharmacists would not, at this moment or perform make any diagnosis. Doctors are the trained diagnosticians, but they are poor in therapeutics. It is generally well-known among hospital pharmacists that junior doctors are really not safe to be prescribing for the unsuspecting public.
The point is clear: The belief that doctors know more about medicines than pharmacists is indefensible.
Source: PJ: 273:7376 (19 Nov 2005) 620