There is currently no robust evidence to support prescribing hydroxychloroquine as a treatment or prophylaxis for COVID-19.

In this issue of the Journal, prescribing is addressed from differing perspectives.

Expectations of antibiotics may reflect a desire for symptomatic treatment, lack of awareness of other options or previous experience.

This paper describes the overall number of prescriptions and unique medicines dispensed and costs borne by a cohort of patients treated with lipid-lowering therapy.

There are no obvious reasons why antibiotic use should be higher in the Australian community setting; therefore, it is likely that some antibiotic use may be unnecessary.

Beliefs about the usefulness of initiatives to reduce opioid prescribing in clinical practice and autonomy in prescribing may be important considerations in driving compliance.