Effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of pharmacist prescribing examines pharmacists prescribing* compared with other prescribing healthcare professionals. It covers a wide range of health conditions across primary care, community care and hospital settings, and was commissioned by the Department of Health after recommendations by the Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy**.

Speaking on the publication of the report today, the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said:

“I welcome this important report from the Health Research Board, which provides clear evidence that pharmacist prescribing is safe, effective, and cost-effective. These findings confirm what many in our health service have long recognised that pharmacists have the skills, training, and professional judgment to play a greater role in delivering high-quality care to patients. 

“As we continue to strengthen our health system and improve access to care the evidence in this report will help inform our next steps in expanding the role of pharmacists. By making full use of their expertise, we can enhance patient outcomes, reduce pressures on general practice, and ensure more timely access to medicines and advice across the country.”

Commenting on the key outcomes, Dr Áine Teahan, Senior Researcher, at the Health Research Board (HRB) says:

“The majority of evidence indicated effectiveness and safety outcomes in pharmacist prescribing were significantly improved, or equivalent to, outcomes achieved by medical prescribers. Internationally, economic evaluations have found pharmacist prescribing to be cost-effective compared with usual care.’”

Outcomes

The review of effectiveness and safety outcomes covered 15 health conditions including diabetes, urinary tract infection and the female contraceptive pill. The majority of studies reported no difference in outcomes, or improved outcomes, when pharmacists were prescribing compared to other prescribing healthcare professionals.

Cost

Cost-effectiveness studies looked at eight health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease, and common health conditions such as sore throat.

Most studies projected pharmacist prescribing to be cost-effective, or cost-saving, or with a better cost-benefit ratio compared with medical prescribing.

Dr Teahan concludes:

“Continued research and policy development will help determine the benefits of pharmacist prescribing and its integration into the Irish healthcare system.”

ENDS

*Pharmacist prescribing can be independent, collaborative, and dependent. In independent prescribing pharmacists have full autonomy to prescribe medications. Collaborative prescribing is a cooperative practice relationship between the pharmacist and doctor e.g. the doctor diagnoses, while the pharmacist selects, monitors, modifies, continues, or discontinues medications. Dependent prescribing is where pharmacists prescribe according to prespecified protocols or formularies.

**In July 2024, the Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy, established by the Minister for Health in 2023, published its final report with recommendations to develop a stepwise plan to enable pharmacists to exercise independent prescriptive authority and to develop other models of pharmacist prescribing.

Given current policy aims to expand the role of pharmacists across diverse healthcare settings, the Department of Health requested this evidence review of existing evidence on the on the safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of pharmacist prescribing compared with other prescribing healthcare professionals across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare settings.

For more information or interviews, please contact: 

Suzanne Kenny, Communications Officer, Health Research Board
e skenny@hrb.ie m 085 850 0494

NOTES FOR EDITOR

The HRB Evidence Centre was formed in 2011 and conducts evidence syntheses to inform health policy and decision-making. Our evidence supports the formulation of recommendations, which is the role of policy-makers at the Department of Health.

Health Research Board (HRB) is Ireland’s lead funding agency supporting innovative health research and delivering data and evidence that improves people’s health and patient care. We are committed to putting people first, and ensuring data and evidence are used in policy and practice to overcome health challenges, advance health systems, and benefit society and economy.