On 19 March, NUS enrolled its first cohort of pharmacists and advanced practice nurses (APNs) in the National Collaborative Prescribing Programme (NCPP).

The NCPP is a response to improve patients’ access to quality care against the backdrop of an increasingly complex nature of healthcare provision and ever growing patient volumes. The programme is designed to train pharmacists and APNs to prescribe under a Collaborative Practice Agreement with medical practitioners, allowing them to provide more timely and efficient care.

The 13-week program hosted in NUS Pharmacy involves teaching sessions which emphasise collaborative learning through case-based discussions. It also consists of a clinical practicum component where trainees practice in a healthcare setting guided by their clinical supervisors and peers.

Trainees will study topics such as pharmacotherapeutics, legislation and regulation of prescribing, and interpretation of diagnostic tests and procedures. A better understanding of the entire spectrum of patient care will allow all collaborative prescribing practitioners (CPPs) to work together more effectively and provide a more holistic continuity of care.

With this new programme, healthcare professionals continue to shift away from providing patient care in isolation, and towards a culture of greater partnership and integration across all disciplines and specialties.

NCPP on Channel NewsAsia:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/experienced-public-healthcare-sector-pharmacists-nurses-to-be-10021468

Learn more about the NCPP:
https://pharmacy.nus.edu.sg/national-collaborative-prescribing/