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Aims: The United Kingdom (UK) Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) is a 2‐h online assessment of basic competence to prescribe and supervise the use of medicines. It has been undertaken by students and doctors in UK medical and foundation schools for the past decade. This study describes the academic characteristics and performance of the assessment; longitudinal performance of candidates and schools; stakeholder feedback; and surrogate markers of prescribing safety in UK healthcare practice. Methods: We reviewed the performance data generated by over 70 000 medical students and 3700 foundation doctors who have participated in the PSA since its inception in 2013. These data were supplemented by Likert scale and free text feedback from candidates and a variety of stakeholder groups. Further data on medication incidents, collected by national reporting systems and the regulatory body, are reported, with permission. Results: We demonstrate the feasibility, high quality and reliability of an online prescribing assessment, uniquely providing a measure of prescribing competence against a national standard. Over 90% of candidates pass the PSA on their first attempt, while a minority are identified for further training and assessment. The pass rate shows some variation between different institutions and between undergraduate and foundation cohorts. Most responders to a national survey agreed that the PSA is a useful instrument for assessing prescribing competence, and an independent review has recommended adding the PSA to the Medical Licensing Assessment. Surrogate markers suggest there has been improvement in prescribing safety in practice, temporally associated with the introduction of the PSA but other factors could be influential too. Conclusions: The PSA is a practical and cost‐effective way of delivering a reliable national assessment of prescribing competence that has educational impact and is supported by the majority of stakeholders. There is a need to develop national systems to identify and report prescribing errors and the harm they cause, enabling the impact of educational interventions to be measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacogenomics is increasingly moving into mainstream clinical practice. Careful consideration must be paid to inclusion of diverse populations in research, translation and implementation, in the historical and social context of population stratification, to ensure that this leads to improvements in healthcare for all rather than increased health disparities. This review takes a broad and critical approach to the current role of diversity in pharmacogenomics and addresses potential pitfalls in order to raise awareness for prescribers. It also emphasizes evidence gaps and suggests approaches that may minimize negative consequences and promote health equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14983 6 Tusino S, Furfaro M. Rethinking the role of Research Ethics Committees in the light of Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 on clinical trials and the COVID-19 pandemic. Tusino et al address the evolving role of research ethics committees, and how a drive toward centralization has been accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic.6 Yet the role of ethics is not finished when the study is complete. The COVID-19 global pandemic setting has highlighted the role of trust in mediating relationships between experts, who design, manufacture, market and prescribe medication, and the lay public, who ingest medication.1 Ethical interventions in science and medicine are intended to cultivate and preserve trust within the larger community. [Extracted from the article]

Pharmacogenomics promises to advance cardiovascular therapy, but there remain pragmatic barriers to implementation. These are particularly important to explore within Europe, as there are differences in the populations, availability of resources, and expertise, as well as in ethico-legal frameworks. Differences in healthcare delivery across Europe present a challenge, but also opportunities to collaborate on pharmacogenomics implementation. Clinical workforce upskilling is already in progress but will require substantial input. Digital infrastructure and clinical support tools are likely to prove crucial. It is important that widespread implementation serves to narrow rather than widen any existing gaps in health equality between populations. This viewpoint supplements the working group position paper on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics to address these important themes., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)