New roadmap for safer medicine prescribing in Australian primary care

​

L-R: Associate Professor Johnson George, second author Anna Mackintosh and first author Dr James Nind.

17 September 2026

Researchers from Monash University, alongside a broad consortium of national and international partners, have developed 23 Quality Prescribing Indicators. These indicators act as a clinical compass to guide safe and appropriate prescribing for common health conditions in all adults in primary care across Australia.

Medication-related problems place a substantial cost burden on hospitals through preventable admissions, and while quality prescribing indicators offer a proven way to evaluate and improve medicine use, Australia has lacked an updated, nationally recognised set for primary care since 2006. Research published today in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety intends to change that.

Senior author of the research Associate Professor Johnson George, from the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety (CMUS) at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), said the new framework is a critical step forward for patient safety and clinical practice.

To read the full article, visit here.