Table 1.

The list of competencies in relation to prescribing to be expected of all graduates of UK medical schools, as defined by the Safe Prescribing Working Group convened by the General Medical Council and Medical Schools Council in 2007 [36]; the full report is available at http://www.chms.ac.uk/documents/finalreport.doc

All new medical graduates should be able to:

•Establish an accurate drug history

•Plan appropriate therapy for common indications

•Write a safe and legal prescription

•Appraise critically the prescribing of others

•Calculate appropriate doses

•Provide patients with appropriate information about their medicines

•Access reliable information about medicines

•Detect and report adverse drug reactions