Clinical Applicability and Integration of Pharmacist- Prescribed Drugs for the Treatment of Mild Illnesses into Routine Practice

Abstract

With the reclassification of 105 drugs for 16 indications from prescription medication to pharmacist prescribing, autonomous pharmacist prescribing was formally implemented in Switzerland in 2019. Its goal was to reduce the cost of healthcare and medical consultations. The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical utility of prescription drugs to over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and assess how well they are incorporated into routine practice.
Methods: Using Compendium.ch and Pharmavista.ch, clinical pharmacists compared the chemical and galenical equivalencies between over-the-counter drugs and those prescribed by pharmacies. Then, in October 2021, a scoping review was conducted to ascertain clinical relevance in accordance with the recommendations of clinical guidelines. Finding out if a pharmacy's prescription drugs belonged to a homogenous therapeutic class—one that takes into account intermolecular variations rather than variations in efficacy and safety as defined by clinical guidelines—that includes over-the-counter pharmaceuticals was the final step in completing clinical relevance.
In conclusion, the majority of pharmacists who prescribe drugs do not offer any therapeutic benefits over over-the-counter alternatives. The expense of patient drugs and pharmacist training were further implementation hurdles.