A GP and researcher evaluating three pharmacy prescribing trials says his team considered randomised controlled trials but decided it was impractical. 

The NSW experiments into pharmacists prescribing for UTIs, contraception and skin conditions are registered clinical trials, with evaluation by The George Institute. 

It contrasts with the Queensland Government giving pharmacists permanent powers to diagnose and prescribe S4 drugs for 16 conditions despite no published data or detail on the outcomes being assessed.

Professor David Peiris, The George Institute’s Chief Scientist and a GP, said NSW’s UTI and oral contraceptive pill (OCP) trials were almost randomised controlled trials.