Dr Nigel Masters, Who Developed Clinical Indications

Who is Dr Nigel Masters?

A retired GP, formerly of Highfield Surgery, Highfield Way, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCGP). He trained at Guy’s Hospital Medical School and was a Guy’s Hospital primary care lecturer, working in Thamesmead, London. He later moved to Buckinghamshire, where he was a GP trainer, and he has lectured on the Oxford Deanery minor surgery course.

How did clinical indications begin?

As a suggestion to improve medicines management in primary care. Dr Masters first described clinical indications on repeat prescriptions in 2003 (FAQ 17), and a news item dated 23 January 2003 reports that Doctor newspaper ran a front-page story on clinical indications in everyday practice. At Highfield Surgery, over eighty per cent of his repeat prescriptions came to carry the indication, added as each repeat request came in.

What did he and his practice produce?

• The first Clinical Indications Directory (2005), compiled at Highfield Surgery by medical student Mubeen Yousuf.
• A statin compliance study with Benjamin Masters, then a medical student at the University of Southampton (2006).
• A patient focus group with clinical research assistant Anna Masters, on 18 October 2005.
• Departure and destination audits of Highfield Surgery’s prescriptions and patients (2004 to 2006).

What has he published on clinical indications?

• Masters N. A clinical indication on every repeat performance. Br J Gen Pract 2004;54(498):58-9 (PubMed Central).
• Masters NJ. Add clinical indications to prescription instructions to avoid problems of polypharmacy. BMJ 2013;347:f7496 (PubMed).
• Masters NJ. Always add indication labelling to all repeat prescriptions. Br J Gen Pract 2015;65(634):231 (PubMed Central).

What else has he worked on?

He developed the polypropylene foot-pump nebuliser, and has written papers on housing design and depressive illness, medication caries and nebulised opiate delivery.

With Catherine Tutt, a retired practice nurse specialist, he produced the free smoking pack year calculator, which clinicians use to record a patient’s smoking history. They wrote about it in “Rethinking smoking recording in general practice” (GKT Gazette 2018;132(2):42-45), and he described the calculator in the BJGP (Masters NJ. Smoking pack years calculator. Br J Gen Pract 2020;70(694):230; PubMed Central).

What recognition has the work received?

• GP Enterprise Awards, 2004. Overall winner, and winner of the Risk Management Award section. He collected a £7,000 prize at the House of Commons from Health Minister Stephen Ladyman, having already received £3,000 along with five other category winners.
• BUPA Communication Award, 2005. Presented on 11 November 2005 by Sir Graham Catto, President of the General Medical Council.
• Finalist, 2005, in the Medical Futures competition (Patient Safety category) and the Guidelines in Practice Awards (Medicines Management category).
• South East NHS Innovations Awards, 2006. A Judges Commendation in the IT/Knowledge Management category.

At the 2004 award, RCGP President Dr Roger Neighbour said: “Initiatives such as the one pioneered by Dr Masters deliver real added value to patients. We would like to see his system used more widely across the UK.” See all awards and quotes.

Does the GMC guidance refer to this site?

Yes. Paragraph 13 of its prescribing guidance advises: “As well, you should consider including clinical indications on your prescriptions”, and its footnote to “clinical indications” links to this website (what the GMC says).

FAQ 17 records that Dr Masters declared no conflicts of interest in preparing the material for this website. To contact him, email mastersnigel@gmail.com or use the contact form.