The AMA 10 Minimum Standards for Prescribing

by | Nov 4, 2019 | Health Blog

The AMA has released its new 10 Minimum Standards for Prescribing to ensure patient safety and high-quality health care. The AMA’s new Prescribing Standards are consistent with medical ethics and frameworks for the quality use of medicines, and were developed to make clear the minimum standards required of all prescribers authorised to prescribe S4 and S8 medications. […]

The AMA has released its new 10 Minimum Standards for Prescribing to ensure patient safety and high-quality health care.

The AMA’s new Prescribing Standards are consistent with medical ethics and frameworks for the quality use of medicines, and were developed to make clear the minimum standards required of all prescribers authorised to prescribe S4 and S8 medications.

The 10 Minimum Standards for Prescribing are:

Standard 1: Prescribing by non-medical health practitioners should only occur within a medically led and delegated team environment in the interests of patient safety and quality of care.

Standard 2: There must be no pecuniary or non-pecuniary benefit to the prescriber related to the choice of medicines prescribed or the dispensing of those prescribed medicines.

Standard 3: Before prescribing establish a therapeutic relationship with the patient and perform a comprehensive medicines assessment to identify what other medicines, including complementary medicines, the patient is taking and consider any implications to the patient’s treatment plan.

Standard 4: Prescribers ensure they:
a) consider the necessity and appropriateness of medications in managing the patient’s health care needs,
b) choose the most suitable and cost-effective medicines when medicines are considered appropriate, taking into account the efficacy, potential for self-harm and the ability of the patient to adhere to the dosage regimen,
c) advise patients are aware of the relevant side effects of prescribed medications as well as relevant interactions between medications, and
d) report any adverse reactions to the TGA.

Standard 5: Prescribers must maintain clinical independence.

Standard 6: Prescribers must operate only within their scope of practice and comply with state, territory and legislative requirements including restrictions under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Standard 7: Prescribers work in partnership with the patient to set therapeutic goals and with other health professionals as appropriate to select medicines and to tailor and implement a treatment plan.

Standard 8: Prescribers provide clear instructions to delegated prescribers within the health care team and to other health professionals who dispense, supply, or administer the prescribed medicines.

Standard 9: Prescribers with the patient consent communicate with other health professionals within the patients’ health care team about the patient’s medicines and treatment plan.

Standard 10: Prescribers monitor and review the patient’s response to treatment and adjust the treatment plan as appropriate.

Click here to read AMA’s media release and here to read the AMA 10 Minimum Standards for Prescribing.

David McMullen

David McMullen