Podiatrist's prescribing practice

Last month's research roundup provided an overview of articles assessing the role and remit of physiotherapist prescribers (Robertson, 2022). This month, we will review papers concerning podiatrists and their prescribing practice. The first is a review of the progress made in podiatry prescribing in the UK, while the second reviews podiatric prescribing in Australia. The final paper examines UK podiatric surgery and the role of the prescribing podiatrist in this advanced field of practice.

This paper, published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, is a review of progress made in independent prescribing in the UK (Fitzpatrick and Borthwick, 2022). Its publication marks the 10-year anniversary of podiatrists securing the right to train as independent prescribers in the UK, and reviews the journey podiatrists and other allied health professionals have had to take to gain the prescribing rights they now hold. Progress to independent prescribing status was slower for the aforementioned professionals than for nurses and pharmacists, and they still do not have equal access to all prescribing privileges. However, the milestone advent of independent prescribing has enabled a significant advance in clinical autonomy and a broader scope of practice, improving access to medications for many patients.