Responsible prescribing

As veterinary practitioners, our power to prescribe and supply medicines comes with profound responsibilities that extend beyond the immediate health of our patients.

The privilege of prescribing brings with it a duty to prescribe responsibly. Each time we reach for a bottle, we are not just making a clinical decision for that animal – we're participating in a complex web of One Health implications. The shadow of antimicrobial resistance looms over every antibiotic prescription, reminding us that today's treatment decision could affect both animal and human health outcomes for years to come. In addition, ensuring that there are appropriate safeguards to prevent medicine residues in the food our clients' animals produce is vital to both protecting human health and consumer confidence in the livestock industry.

As farm animal vets, we also have additional challenges over our small animal colleagues in deciding if and when to allow farmers to make treatment decisions themselves. This is a difficult exercise in trust and judgement; this week I reviewed large numbers of medicines books as part of an annual medicine use appraisal, and came across many, many treatments which I am confident would not have been under the direction of my veterinary colleagues.