University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, Health Sciences Campus, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Jan 26;21(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06103-1.
The indication for prescribing a particular medication, or its reason for use (RFU) is a crucial piece of information for all those involved in the circle of care. Research has shown that sharing RFU information with physicians, pharmacists and patients improves patient safety and patient adherence, however RFU is rarely added on prescriptions by prescribers or on medication labels for patients to reference.
Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 prescribers in Southern Ontario, Canada, to learn prescribers' current attitudes on the addition of RFU on prescriptions and medication labels. A trained interviewer used a semi-structured interview guide for each interview. The interviews explored how the sharing of RFU information would impact prescribers' workflows and practices. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically coded.
The analysis yielded four main themes: Current Practice, Future Practice, Changing Culture, and Collaboration. Most of the prescribers interviewed do not currently add RFU to prescriptions. Prescribers were open to sharing RFU with colleagues via a regional database but wanted the ability to provide context for the prescribed medication within the system. Many prescribers were wary of the impact of adding RFU on their workflow but felt it could save time by avoiding clarifying questions from pharmacists. Increased interprofessional collaboration, increased patient understanding of prescribed medications, avoiding guesswork when determining indications and decreased misinterpretation regarding RFU were cited by most prescribers as benefits to including RFU information.
Prescribers were generally open to sharing RFU and clearly identified the benefits to pharmacists and patients if added. Critically, they also identified benefits to their own practices. These results can be used to guide the implementation of future initiatives to promote the sharing of RFU in healthcare teams.
开具特定药物的指示（适应证）或其使用原因（RFU）是所有参与治疗圈的人员的关键信息。研究表明，与医生、药剂师和患者共享 RFU 信息可提高患者安全性和患者依从性，但开处方者很少在处方上添加 RFU 信息，也很少在药物标签上添加供患者参考的 RFU 信息。
在加拿大安大略省南部对 20 名开处方者进行了定性访谈，以了解开处方者对在处方和药物标签上添加 RFU 的当前态度。一名经过培训的访谈者使用半结构化访谈指南进行了每次访谈。访谈内容探讨了共享 RFU 信息将如何影响开处方者的工作流程和实践。访谈进行了录音、转录和主题编码。
分析产生了四个主要主题：当前实践、未来实践、改变文化和协作。大多数接受采访的开处方者目前不在处方上添加 RFU。开处方者对通过区域数据库与同事共享 RFU 持开放态度，但希望在系统内为所开药物提供上下文。许多开处方者对添加 RFU 对其工作流程的影响感到担忧，但认为这可以通过避免向药剂师澄清问题来节省时间。增加专业间合作、增加患者对所开药物的理解、避免在确定适应证时猜测以及减少对 RFU 的误解是大多数开处方者认为包括 RFU 信息的好处。
开处方者普遍愿意共享 RFU，如果添加，他们明确指出了对药剂师和患者的好处。至关重要的是，他们还确定了对自己实践的好处。这些结果可用于指导未来举措的实施，以促进在医疗保健团队中共享 RFU。
