Margaret Heslin gets the evidence for Viagra prescription guidelines from the Department of Health.
I read an article in the Daily Mail on 8th December 2011 reporting that managers at several NHS trusts are encouraging doctors to limit Viagra prescriptions to two pills per month The article said that the guidelines set by the Department of Health are that one Viagra pill per week is sufficient because this is the “frequency of intercourse” for middle-aged men. I contacted the Department of Health to ask for the evidence behind this claim, and for more information on Viagra prescriptions. I was pleased to get a clear response from their Customer Service Centre (CSC).
Firstly, the CSC said that “the extract from the Daily Mail’s article is somewhat misleading.” They provided me with a clearer description of the prescription guidelines stating that “the frequency of treatment will need to be considered on a case by case basis.” The response went on to say that Viagra prescription guidelines are based on evidence from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (1990) which shows that the average frequency of sexual intercourse in the 40-60 age range is once a week. The response finished by saying “The Department of Health advises doctors that one treatment a week will be appropriate for most patients treated for erectile dysfunction. If the GP, in exercising his clinical judgement, considers that more than one treatment a week is appropriate he should prescribe that amount on the NHS.”
I am glad I asked for evidence and I think the Department of Health was pleased to be able to clarify and set out the evidence the guidelines are based on.
This guide looks at some of the key things we do know about crime and why it has been so difficult to make sense of crime policy. [...]
I live in Belgium, and recently read that the Flemish Parliament was debating new EU rules restricting children’s use of social media by introducing a digital ‘age of consent'. As [...]
The team at GOV.UK want to know how they can better serve people who are attempting to hold the government to account, and understand the reasoning behind government decisions. Whilst you [...]
EU policy is made within the Brussels bubble, with Brussels-based think tanks and Brussels-based lobbyists. Even civil society organisations at EU level rarely speak to the people that they represent. [...]
When Nick, a former driving instructor, saw the road safety charity Brake tweet ... It's estimated that every 1mph reduction in average speeds, crash rates fall by an average of [...]
After reading an article stating that people receiving Universal Credit were “5 percent more likely to find employment within four months when compared to people claiming Jobseekers Allowance” I chose [...]
