Abstract

The reaction from some quarters of the medical profession to the extension of prescribing rights to extended formulary nurse prescribers and pharmacists encompassing the whole British National Formulary is likely to be seen by many as a visceral response to the inherent threat to powerful vested interests in what has been described as the professional monolith of medicine. Although individual nurses and pharmacists and their professional bodies may welcome this move as a just reward for long and hard-fought battles to be recognised as equal partners with the medical
profession, the implications of such a profound policy
change need to be examined in the cold light of the available evidence, expected positive benefits and potential
negative consequences.