Clinical pharmacology clinics in general practice.

Postgraduate education in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics

“…Unfortunately, there is no close correlation between reliance on any single source of information and the rationality of prescribing in primary care, although those most attracted to messages from the pharmaceutical industry tend to be the least rational prescribers [23, 24]. Discussion groups led by an expert resource, based around clinical cases or specific therapeutic problems have proved popular [25–28] but their effect on prescribing has not been evaluated, nor has the effect of devising a local practice formulary [29], except insofar as the cost of prescribing is concerned [30]. In the UK, distance learning courses, piloted by the Open University in collaboration with the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education in England and Wales in 1982 [31], and organized more recently by the University of Wales and by Keele University, have gained access to general practitioners for whom face‐to‐face teaching is less appealing or inconvenient.…”

Rational prescribing in primary care—a new role for clinical pharmacology? [editorial]

“…In the 1970s, clinical pharmacology was taken enthusiastically to general practitioners, with effective educational approaches: open discussion, active participation and relevance to general practitioners and avoiding the standard didactic approach [16,17,18,19]. Such initiatives have largely faded.…”