UK lawmakers call for radical resident doctor training reform to cut prescribing errors

A new evidence-backed training approach presented to UK parliamentarians suggests a practical way to reduce prescribing errors made by newly qualified doctors. The briefing argues that patient safety demands structural reform of medical education, not just more content coverage.

Within the first two years after graduation, resident doctors show prescribing error rates up to twice those of other healthcare professionals. Researchers attribute part of this gap to limited opportunities for deliberate practice and feedback under realistic clinical uncertainty.

During Sense about Science Evidence Week, Taylor & Francis showcased findings highlighting the role of structured, video-enhanced feedback in improving prescribing performance. The core idea is to turn everyday prescribing moments into measurable learning cycles.

In collaboration with Professor Rakesh Patel, Director of Undergraduate Medicine at St Mary’s University, the work draws on evidence published in Medical Teacher. The study evaluates how personalized feedback—paired with short video-based review—can target specific decision points rather than generic coaching.

Importantly, the intervention is designed to close the performance gap between novice and experienced prescribers. That effect is framed as a shift from “knowing what to do” toward reliably demonstrating safe behavior in routine, high-pressure environments.

The program’s feasibility is also emphasized: it is described as cost-effective and scalable across Foundation Training. Scaling matters because training quality often varies, while prescribing risks affect patients at national scale.

Policy implications were a key part of the message delivered at Evidence Week. Speakers argued for accrediting prescribing competence using performance metrics observed in practice, so assessment reflects safe outcomes rather than exam passage alone.

“It is clear that education without structured feedback is not enough,” Patel said, adding that personalized feedback supported by performance data helps newly qualified doctors develop safer prescribing behaviours.

Sense about Science’s Evidence Week—now in its ninth year—brings MPs and scientists together for rapid briefings on policy-relevant research. Organizers say the format helps align government decision-making with real-world evidence.