Safety first in UTI prescribing
In December 2022, the South Australian Parliament established a Select Committee to examine access in South Australia to treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The review follows moves in other states to introduce pharmacy prescribing of UTI medications.
Across the country, state and federal AMA leaders have criticised the moves for many reasons, but particularly because of blatant disregard of any risks to patient safety.
In a submission addressed to Committee Chair Jayne Stinson, AMA(SA) President Dr Michelle Atchison says that in the interstate schemes, patients were often prescribed antibiotics whether they needed them or not, and hundreds needed further treatment because of complications or misdiagnoses.
In addition, she told the Committee, the AMA considers the separation between dispensing and prescribing activities to be critical, with pharmacists having a financial and business incentive to prescribe antibiotics that may be unnecessary and even harmful.
Dr Atchison will present AMA(SA) arguments to the Committee at a date yet to be decided.