title: Generic prescribing and substitution: the big issues.
abstract: In August 2009 the Department of Health recommended that by the beginning of this year medications prescribed should be substituted by dispensing pharmacies in a bid to save the NHS wasted money on issuing branded medication. Prescribing generic medication has been deemed good practice for a long time but ultimately the prescriber has the final say about what their patient is dispensed. This article looks at why some prescribers want an opt-out clause on prescriptions for groups of patients who will not benefit from this action.
authors.affiliation: deborah.duncan@nhs.net
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D016568:Drugs, Generic