Aust Fam Physician
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This review takes a narrative synthesis approach - a systematic approach to interpreting complex evidence - to a broad literature review of the complex issue of medical career decision making. Addressing the Australian general practice workforce crisis requires an understanding of career choice motivators.
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General practitioners' concerns about medicolegal issues have been shown to influence the practice of medicine. This research looks at GPs' beliefs about medicolegal issues and how medicolegal concerns affect their practice. ⋯ This study found that GPs' concerns about medicolegal matters impact on their practise of medicine. While greater awareness of medicolegal issues may lead to positive impacts, the negative impact of their concerns is that some changes arise from anxiety about medicolegal matters rather than from the exercise of good clinical judgment.
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Interest by prescribers and pharmacists in the provision of individualised pharmaceutical therapy in the form of compounded medicines has grown in recent times. However, there have also been a number of case reports of patient harm associated with these medicines. ⋯ Regulators of pharmaceutical products have expressed concerns with the production, marketing and use of compounded medicines dispensed by pharmacists. This has prompted debate over the need for more regulation of these products. We propose an expansion of off label prescribing guidelines to include a risk based assessment of pharmaceutical quality, a consumer information/education strategy and the development of a code of practice for pharmacists engaging in compounding. These strategies recognise a shared responsibility among prescribers, dispensers and regulators to achieve contemporary quality, safety, and efficacy standards and support the quality use of compounded medicines.