Seminar by Professor Karen Mattick (University of Exeter) 'Educational interventions to improve junior doctor prescribing'

Prescribing medications is one of the most daunting responsibilities that a newly qualified doctor will take on. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of some of our research in this area, using prescribing as an example of a ‘high stakes’ decision that is made in the context of complex and fast-moving workplace environment. Research into prescribing is much needed. Prescribing errors are common, affecting 7% medication orders, 2% patient days and 50% hospital admissions. Most prescribing errors are associated with antibiotics, where there are additional layers of uncertainty, and long term as well as short term consequences of poor prescribing practice. It is clear that strategies that aim to improve knowledge and technical skills are insufficient. We need to educate doctors to work in an environment where their knowledge and skills may be negated by the numerous complex and overwhelming pressures at play can influence their prescribing behaviour, and where interventions that work in one context may not be successful in another.