Should we stop prescribing 'just in case' drugs?

摘要

I fearwritingthisafterthe Gosport report (Cover Feature, 7 July), but I thinkit is important. As a GP, itwas, and still may be, common practice to be asked to prescribe "just in case" drugs by the hospice team for people nearing the end of their lives but notyet needingthese drugs. The aim was to ensure a supply if and when the need arose, especially at weekends. Very few, if any, GPs carry narcotics in "theirbag," and pharmacies are generally shut at night. These drugs are collected by the family and kept in the home with full knowledge of all concerned.