To prescribe or not to prescribe: enhancing safety in remote prescribing

Abstract

From time to time, it may be appropriate to use a telephone, or other non-face-to-face medium to prescribe medicines and treatment for patients. Non face-to-face media include telephone, fax, email, video link, or websites. This concept is known as remote prescribing and refers to prescribing for patients who are physically ‘remote’ or not in the same vicinity as the clinician ( Broadhead, 2011 ). Secondly, the term can also refer to an area of the UK described as being geographically ‘remote’, where direct face-to-face access to healthcare can be poor ( General Medical Council, 2017 ). Remote prescribing has been described as an important facility in healthcare, providing patients with greater accessibility to their medications and treatment ( Griffiths, 2018 ). However, remote prescribing is only acceptable in exceptional circumstances. The aim of this article is to identify and discuss clinical situations in which remote prescribing is acceptable, with an onus on safety. Broadhead (2011) proposes that the medical guidance for remote prescribing is analogous for other health professionals, including nurses and midwives who prescribe remotely using different forms of technology. Therefore, these guidelines will be referred to throughout this article.