Making sense of drug compliance by patients

Article Abstract:

A total of 750 million prescriptions are written in the US and UK each year, but it is estimated that patients do not comply with the drug regimen prescribed in more than 520 million cases. It can be argued that patients have every right to decide not to follow the advice given to them by a health professional but one study indicated that medication non-compliance probably accounted for 20% of admissions to medical wards. Drug non-compliance may stem from fear of side-effects or dependency or from an over-complicated drug regimen, but poor information-giving by health care staff can also be responsible.

Statistics, Drug therapy

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Protocols for safety

Article Abstract:

The use of group protocols allows non-prescribing nurses to prescribe drugs to patients under strict guidelines which have been formulated beforehand by a health professional. This class of prescribing is not the same in law as a professionally trained and qualified prescribing nurse, such as a midwife or district nurse. A Crown investigation into the benefits of developing group protocols concluded patients should only be prescribed under a protocol if the nurse followed the guidelines to the letter.

Laws, regulations and rules, Prescription writing, Nursing

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The case for prescribing the pill

Article Abstract:

The UK's family planning nurses are seeking to extend their role, and hope eventually to be given the right to prescribe in straightforward cases. At present, they deal with all aspects of client care, but are not allowed to actually sign a prescription, and they feel that this devalues their role. Allowing them to prescribe oral contraceptives would require a change in the law.

Services, Family planning services

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