GP Clinical: Case study - Avoid the pitfalls of repeat prescriptions.

The article cites a case study on drawbacks of repeat prescriptions. The patient noticed some deterioration in her vision. She was referred to an ophthalmologist who found her visual acuity was 6/18 in the left eye and 6/9 in the right. The ophthalmic specialist to whom she was then referred increased the dose of the prednisolone and explained that it was important to monitor her intraocular pressures while she was using steroids. The specialist wrote to patient's GP advising that they should continue a high-dose steroid and cromoglycate regimen. Later GP issued repeat prescriptions without specialist's advice. The patient sued GP for issuing repeat steroid eye drop prescriptions. The patient's claim was settled for a six-figure sum.