Analyse your consultation of the patient
Discuss the consultation process and critically analyse the frameworks that influenced your approach.
If you used a consultation model:
How did this assist you in undertaking a comprehensive consultation/assessment; making an informed diagnosis and selecting the appropriate treatment.
Make sure this is relevant to this episode, for example how developing rapport and establishing trust improved concordance.
This should not be a description of how you applied the process or a generic overview of consultation models.
What factors have influenced your prescribing decision; for example, psychological issues; socioeconomic status; education; concordance etc.
Indicate which learning outcomes this addressed (e.g. LO1, LO2).
Look at the Prescribing Competency Framework elements 1-3 for ideas.
Analyse the pharmacology of the drug(s) you prescribed
Avoid repeating the basic generic information from section 1 and make sure that it is relevant to the episode.
Discuss the pharmacodynamics of the medication that you prescribed, and analyse how this relates to the pathophysiology of the condition that you treated.
Only discuss the pharmacokinetics for the prescribed drug(s) if this is relevant to your prescribing decision.
Discuss why the drug(s) you prescribed was appropriate for this patient and this condition.
You must consider the influence of recent clinical trials on guidelines and/or local policy and critically evaluate how this has influenced your prescribing decision.
Consider how this relates to your own area of practice and how recent evidence may contradict local and national guidelines.
Look at Prescribing Competency Framework elements 4-6 for ideas.
Analyse the clinical governance that underpinned your prescribing decision
Consider the legal, ethical and professional frameworks which support your practice
Consider the impact your consultation and prescribing decision has had on the patient. For example, how might autonomy and beneficence relate to the issues of concordance and compliance?
Discuss the impact of your professional role within the context of this prescribing episode.
Consider how this episode relates to your specific practice area and how this could be developed for the future.
Do not include a generic analysis of legal/ethical issues. This must be relevant to the episode.
Look at Prescribing Competency Framework elements 7-10 for ideas.
