As the pharmacy profession continues to orientate towards prescribing-based roles and assumes greater levels of clinical accountability, the ability to handle uncertainty, risk and conflicting interests becomes essential. While prescribers can draw from evidence-based guidelines and professional codes to inform their approach, each patient is unique and there will be situations where formal guidance does not directly address the particular needs of the patient or where the evidence may be limited. As a result, prescribers will encounter situations during their practice where a clear ‘right’ answer is lacking or there are factors that pull decision-making in different directions. But how should prescribers approach these types of situations? What process should they follow?
