SEFAP highlights role of pharmacists in reviewing legacy prescriptions

Mercedes Pereira, president of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Pharmacists (SEFAP), has highlighted the critical role of primary care pharmacists in reviewing legacy prescriptions. These are treatments initially prescribed for a limited time that continue as chronic medication without sufficient re-evaluation of their necessity, efficacy, or safety.

Pereira explained that pharmacists do not replace clinical decision-makers but rather identify, contextualize, and propose adjustments. This process involves coordinating with medical, nursing, and hospital pharmacy teams to plan the reasoned reduction, withdrawal, or substitution of medications. She emphasized that effective deprescribing requires clinical decision-making, symptom monitoring, and integrated prescription systems that incorporate duration and interoperability rather than relying on occasional campaigns.