4 VIEWS & REVIEWS

Improving prescribing isn't easy Although improvements in prescribing will

improve patient care, good prescribing is difficult to define. The principal pharmacist of the regional drug information centre, South Western regional health authority has outlined characteristics of bad prescribing in an attempt to demonstrate good prescribing. Such a list ' ... mtI)'

pro'" IIs~/1I1 i" cateroris;", tM ~fflCts 0/ i"it;atipes ,.,"iel. aim to improp~ t"~ qlllllity 0/ PIlti~"ts ctUt

t"roll," ~1IJ1I'i", sa/~, rtltiollllllUld cost-~fflCtip~ "s~ 0/ medici"es. '

It must, however, be borne in mind that much patient and medical information is also required when judging the quality of prescribing and that many elements of prescribing require value judgements. Beswick T. What is good prescribing? Pharmaceutical Journal 247: 774, 14 Dec 1991 1929

11 Jan 1992 4ItNPHARMA ISSN 01 S6-2703/92/0111.Q004/0$01.00/0 C AIls 10 .. ' .............