Expanding Pharmacist Prescribing in Territorial Healthcare: International Models and Pharmacist and Physician Perspectives

In recent years, several healthcare systems have faced increasing challenges in ensuring continuity of care and adequate access to treatments. In this context, the role of the prescribing pharmacist has been introduced in some countries as a potential strategy to support healthcare systems. Considering the potential benefits associated with this professional role, the present study compared in-ternational pharmacist prescribing legislations of different countries and investigated the perceptions of physicians and pharmacists toward the prescribing pharmacist. Data on pharmacist prescribing regulatory frameworks were collected through the analysis of national legislative documents, reports from interna-tional organizations, and publications from professional pharmacy bodies. In parallel, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted to assess the perceptions of pharmacists and physicians, with a comparison between general practitioners, pediatrics and specialists. The international comparison revealed substan-tial differences in pharmacist prescribing authority across healthcare systems, ranging from complete pro-hibition (Italy, Germany, Spain) to independent prescribing models (UK), as well as collaborative or proto-col-based prescribing under physician supervision (France, selected Canadian provinces, and some Aus-tralian and US states). Survey findings showed that both physicians and pharmacists considered pharma-cist prescribing acceptable for the continuation of chronic therapies and the management of minor or mild conditions. Physicians identified the main potential benefits as a reduction in workload, particularly for re-petitive prescription renewals, and a decrease in inappropriate self-medication among patients. Pharma-cists, on the other hand, emphasized improvements in therapeutic adherence, continuity of care, and the strengthening of the pharmacist’s professional role. Nevertheless, more than 37% of responses from phy-sicians and 7% from pharmacists stated that prescribing authority should remain an exclusively medical responsibility.