Warning for online prescribing pharmacist, the PDA have again sent an urgent alert/warning to prescribing pharmacists working remotely for online pharmacies who use a questionnaire-based model which usually has no direct patient and prescriber interaction.
More and more action is being taken by the GPhC against these prescribing pharmacists working for online pharmacies with some being subjected to a full Fitness to Practice investigations.
These pharmacists currently being investigated all have common allegations which have been shared many times by the PDA and GPhC when they have warned the online pharmacy sector on several occasions. The common themes are these prescribing pharmacists are relying far too much on a patient questionnaire alone when making a clinical prescribing decision, no direct patient and prescriber interaction, high risk medicines being prescribed without adequate safeguards and protocols in place, poor systems and process which lead to inappropriate prescribing habits and huge volumes of medicines being prescribed in short time frames.
To pursue further investigations, GPhC has appointed an expert clinical adviser who shares their views on online prescribing. They have advised that that in order to make a competent clinical decision, the prescribers should consider all non-pharmacological treatments as a first step in conjunction or instead of prescribing a medicine. This decision should be underpinned by a two way agreement and dialogue between the patient and prescriber. They further advise that in order to prescribe safely and appropriately, the prescriber has to ensure they have all the relevant background information for the patient such as medical history, treatment history, mental and physical health, current investigations, planned follow up etc. Having access to GP records or communication with the patients GP is essential in the decision making process and therefore relying solely on a self-reported questionnaire poses huge risks for the prescribing pharmacist. If these steps aren’t part of the prescribing process, patients are at risk of inappropriate prescribing and harm.
PDA advises all prescribing pharmacists to look at their processes with an online service or clinic and ensure they are protecting themselves and prescribing appropriately with all the relevant safeguards in place. As the online pharmacy sector grows rapidly, the regulators will and are cracking down hard on those practicing unsafely. Another warning issued but will the online pharmacy sector take heed and improve their standards significantly in order to keep their patients safe or will they be too focussed on profit? I hope the industry is regulated strictly to ensure safety for all patients who are using these online pharmacies.