Influences on Independent Pharmacist Prescribing

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Influences on Prescribing Decisions made by Independent Hospital Pharmacist Prescribers: a qualitative research study

• IRAS ID

  204035

• Contact name

  Hazel Jamieson

• Contact email

  hazel.jamieson@sth.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 5 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  What are independent hospital pharmacist prescribers' perceptions of the factors that influence their prescribing decisions?

  Prescribing medicines for patients requires the selection of the best drug treatment taking into account the risks, benefits and costs. Prescribing is a complex process, affected by social, medical, environmental and economic factors. Prescribers should be aware of these potential influences on their prescribing so they can make the right decisions for their patients. Factors that influence doctors’ prescribing have been well described in primary care and to a lesser extent in secondary care. Pharmacists have been able to prescribe since 2006 and compared to doctors, are newcomers to prescribing and have not prescribed under the traditional paternalistic models of healthcare; therefore pharmacists’ prescribing decisions may be influenced by different factors. A higher proportion of pharmacist prescribers work in hospitals, therefore this study focuses on independent pharmacist prescribers in a hospital setting.
  Independent Pharmacist Prescribers who work in a general or specialist role in a general or teaching hospital in Yorkshire and Humber and who have been prescribing for at least 6 months are eligible to take part. Participants will be asked to reflect and make notes on critical incidents related to prescribing decisions that they have made in the course of their usual working day. A critical incident is “a prescribing decision judged by the prescriber to have been either particularly satisfactory or particularly unsatisfactory. The prescribing decision may have resulted in a prescription being written or no prescription being written.” Subsequently, participants will take part in a face-to-face interview based on the critical incidents and conducted in the participant’s place of work. Interviews will take approximately 30-45 minutes and will be audio-recorded. The interview recordings will be transcribed and anonymised by the researcher.

• REC name

  N/A

• REC reference

  N/A