Teaching rational prescribing to general practice registrars: A guide for supervisors

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• General Practice
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Pharmaceuticals are crucial in healthcare, with prescribing common in Australian general practice.
• Medicine use carries significant risks, highlighting the need for safe prescribing practices.
• Vocational training shapes future general practitioner (GP) prescribing habits, making supervisors influential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline practical strategies for general practice supervisors.
• To guide the teaching of rational prescribing to registrars within practice settings.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of practical teaching strategies for supervisors.
• Focus on patient-centered care and managing uncertainty in prescribing.
• Emphasis on role-modeling and guideline adherence.

Main Results:

• Supervisors play a key role in developing registrars' prescribing behavior.
• Patient-centered approaches and managing uncertainty are vital for rational prescribing.
• Effective strategies include case analysis, audit, feedback, and resource utilization.

Conclusions:

• Supervisors should adopt patient-centered, uncertainty-managing approaches.
• Role-modeling quality prescribing and guideline use significantly impacts registrars.
• Specific methods like random case analysis and audit support rational prescribing education.