In every country the potential for medicines-related problems to cause harm to patients, to disrupt health service delivery and to add to health care costs is now understood to be both substantial but also largely preventable. These problems are particularly acute in Primary Care because medicines usage is the most common form of health care intervention and because responsibility for the medicines use process is divided between prescribers, patients and pharmacists. In Ireland this scenario is further complicated by the absence of any health service mechanism in Primary Care to promote, facilitate or require collaborative care with medicines between Primary Care Teams (PCTs) and community pharmacists.

PUBLISHED

Dublin