Study reports rise in dispensing of drugs in England
Tuesday 4th August 2009
The number of prescription items dispensed to patients in England has risen, new figures show.
According to a report produced by the NHS Information Centre, the number of prescription items given out increased by almost two-thirds between 1998 and 2008.
A total of 842.5 million items were transferred to patients last year.
This was up by 5.8 per cent on 2007's figures.
The study takes into account all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors.
Responding to the findings, Jonathan Silcock, lecturer in pharmacy at the University of Leeds, said: "GPs are excellent at prescribing, but they are not always so good at knowing when to stop and they may not always have the time to conduct a thorough review," the Times reports.
This is where well-trained pharmacists could play a "key role", he added.
The NHS Information Centre exists to drive the use of information to improve decision making.
Written by Mathew Horton
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