The information below explains what the assignment is about.
The outcomes of prescribing are affected by both inequalities in health and beliefs about health. The ways in which people respond to illness, its management or maintaining their health are influenced by their beliefs, access to health services, wider influences on health and the response of health practitioners. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2016) reflects these broader considerations for prescribing within its Prescribing Competency Framework:
2.9 Takes into account the wider perspective including the public health issues related to medicines and their use and promoting health.
3.2 Identifies and respects the patient in relation to diversity, values, beliefs and expectations about their health and treatment with medicines.
3.4 Routinely assesses adherence in a non-judgemental way and understands the different reasons non-adherence can occur (intentional or non-intentional) and how best to support patients/carers.
Firstly, review literature relating to health beliefs and/or inequalities in health and apply to a specific area of your practice to consider how an understanding of these wider influences may be used to impact on your future prescribing decisions. There are some learning materials provided below but these are not exhaustive. As you read them make a few notes to aid any discussions later with your DMP. Over the next 6 months you will be using this knowledge to underpin and justify your prescribing decisions. Please DO NOT upload this informal work.
Secondly- Please articulate your thoughts and findings in 1000 words. Remember to reference using the UWE Harvard system and include your professional standards and codes using literature to demonstrate your wider reading. Please upload your work by clicking on the heading in the assignment upload area in a separate tab – ensure your student number, module code, profession and area of practice is on your work so that it can be marked in context.
You may choose to focus your assignment on health beliefs….
• How might the patient’s health beliefs influence your prescribing practice? Do the health belief models/theories explain all of your patient behaviours/beliefs? What is the influence of media?
• How might your beliefs or values influence your future prescribing practice? For example, are there situations where you may feel that your personal values may make you unwilling to initiate or continue a treatment with a particular therapy? How about diagnostic over-shadowing? Do you feel culturally competent?
• Based on these considerations, what strategies will you take to your future prescribing practice to ensure you explore and work with patient beliefs? Are there consultation models to help structure your interactions?
Or you may consider focusing more on health inequalities…..
• What are the specific health inequalities impacting on your patient group? For example, health/digital literacy, discrimination, stereotyping, access (what about the patients that do not access your service), poverty, housing, education, language?
• What is the impact of health inequalities on prescribing decision making? For example, are there variations in prescribing in your speciality that reflect cultural differences, variation in access to care, inequalities, privilege? Has the reduction in prescribing over the counter medications impacted on your patients?
• Based on these considerations, what strategies will you take to your future prescribing practice to ensure you consider health inequalities and work inclusively? Are there consultation models to help structure your interactions? Does social prescribing have any potential? Do you feel culturally competent? What is the impact of unconscious bias? Do you need to work closely with particular providers across sectors?
