A solid grounding: prescribing skills training.

BACKGROUND: Prescribing is an error-prone process for all doctors, from those who are newly qualified through to those at consultant level. Newly qualified doctors write the majority of in-patient prescriptions and therefore represent an opportunity for safety improvement. Attention to prescribing as a patient-safety issue and potential educational interventions to help improve the situation have been published, but offer little to inform educators why and how any interventions may succeed. In order to identify areas of good practice, and to provide evidence of areas requiring further investigation and innovation, we aimed to ascertain the full range of prescribing practices for final-year medical students and newly qualified doctors across a large geopolitical region of the UK. METHODS: A questionnaire methodology was used. One questionnaire was sent to those responsible for final-year education, and a further, different questionnaire was sent to those responsible for the training of newly qualified doctors, asking about prescribing education in their locality. Questionnaires were sent to 15 hospitals in total. Prescribing is an error-prone process for all doctors RESULTS: Twelve hospitals contributed to final-year medical student data: a response rate of 80 per cent. A variety of methods, including student assistantship, pharmacist-led skills sessions and practical assessment, were offered to varying degrees. Free-text responses identified opportunities for different prescribing education and support. All 15 hospitals provided data on doctors' education, with interventions including e-learning, assessment and support from ward-based pharmacists. DISCUSSION: Current education focuses on the technical and knowledge-based paradigm of prescribing. Human factors and the impact of electronic prescribing should play a part in future developments in prescribing education.

Twelve tips for running teaching programmes for newly qualified doctors.

A teaching programme for newly qualified doctors is necessary for their continuing professional development and education. However, guidelines for the logistics and content of such teaching programmes are limited. These 12 tips provide advice and guidance for the creation and development of a successful programme. This article is intended for readers who are involved in teaching; programme directors, administrators, tutors and trainee doctors themselves. The principles included will also be useful for those involved in developing other types of teaching programmes. Engagement of trainees, the education department and other staff in the hospital is crucial for the success of teaching programmes. A culture of attendance and feedback may take time and effort to establish but is absolutely essential for long-term programme viability. Innovative approaches to teaching, a range of teaching staff and coverage of varied clinical and non-clinical topics, all contribute to a strong programme.