Jump to content

Search the hub

Showing results for tags 'Medication'.

More search options

  • Search By Tags

    Start to type the tag you want to use, then select from the list.

  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • All
    • Commissioning, service provision and innovation in health and care
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Culture
    • Improving patient safety
    • Investigations, risk management and legal issues
    • Leadership for patient safety
    • Organisations linked to patient safety (UK and beyond)
    • Patient engagement
    • Patient safety in health and care
    • Patient Safety Learning
    • Professionalising patient safety
    • Research, data and insight
    • Miscellaneous

Categories

  • Commissioning, service provision and innovation in health and care
    • Commissioning and funding patient safety
    • Digital health and care service provision
    • Health records and plans
    • Innovation programmes in health and care
    • Climate change/sustainability
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Blogs
    • Data, research and statistics
    • Frontline insights during the pandemic
    • Good practice and useful resources
    • Guidance
    • Mental health
    • Exit strategies
    • Patient recovery
    • Questions around Government governance
  • Culture
    • Bullying and fear
    • Good practice
    • Occupational health and safety
    • Safety culture programmes
    • Second victim
    • Speak Up Guardians
    • Staff safety
    • Whistle blowing
  • Improving patient safety
    • Clinical governance and audits
    • Design for safety
    • Disasters averted/near misses
    • Equipment and facilities
    • Error traps
    • Health inequalities
    • Human factors (improving human performance in care delivery)
    • Improving systems of care
    • Implementation of improvements
    • International development and humanitarian
    • Safety stories
    • Stories from the front line
    • Workforce and resources
  • Investigations, risk management and legal issues
    • Investigations and complaints
    • Risk management and legal issues
  • Leadership for patient safety
    • Business case for patient safety
    • Boards
    • Clinical leadership
    • Exec teams
    • Inquiries
    • International reports
    • National/Governmental
    • Patient Safety Commissioner
    • Quality and safety reports
    • Techniques
    • Other
  • Organisations linked to patient safety (UK and beyond)
    • Government and ALB direction and guidance
    • International patient safety
    • Regulators and their regulations
  • Patient engagement
    • Consent and privacy
    • Harmed care patient pathways/post-incident pathways
    • How to engage for patient safety
    • Keeping patients safe
    • Patient-centred care
    • Patient Safety Partners
    • Patient stories
  • Patient safety in health and care
    • Care settings
    • Conditions
    • Diagnosis
    • High risk areas
    • Learning disabilities
    • Medication
    • Mental health
    • Men's health
    • Patient management
    • Social care
    • Transitions of care
    • Women's health
  • Patient Safety Learning
    • Patient Safety Learning campaigns
    • Patient Safety Learning documents
    • Patient Safety Standards
    • 2-minute Tuesdays
    • Patient Safety Learning Annual Conference 2019
    • Patient Safety Learning Annual Conference 2018
    • Patient Safety Learning Awards 2019
    • Patient Safety Learning Interviews
    • Patient Safety Learning webinars
  • Professionalising patient safety
    • Accreditation for patient safety
    • Competency framework
    • Medical students
    • Patient safety standards
    • Training & education
  • Research, data and insight
    • Data and insight
    • Research
  • Miscellaneous

News

  • News

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start
    End

Last updated

  • Start
    End

Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End

Group

First name

Last name

Country

Join a private group (if appropriate)

About me

Organisation

Role

Found 1,130 results
  1. Content Article
    In late 2023, the Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield MP, asked the Patient Safety Commissioner for England to explore redress options for those who have been harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. This report sets out the outcome of this project and is designed to help the government understand the options available for providing redress to those patients harmed by pelvic mesh and valproate.
  2. News Article
    Ministers must begin paying compensation to the families of children disabled by the epilepsy drug sodium valproate by next year, a report will say this week. The report’s author, Dr Henrietta Hughes, England’s patient safety commissioner, says valproate is “a bigger scandal than thalidomide, in terms of the numbers of people affected”. She will back calls for financial redress for the thousands of children left physically and mentally disabled. Every month, three babies are still being born who have been exposed to the drug. Speaking before the report’s launch, Hughes, 54, a GP, said the state had failed pregnant women by not telling them about key information regarding the drug’s risks. “These families have already been betrayed, because they weren’t given the right information to be able to make decisions to keep themselves and their family safe,” she said. “There are senior politicians of every stripe who have expressed their sincere sympathy and support for patients who have been harmed. I take the view that people who seek high office need to also accept the responsibility that comes with that high office. “The time for redress is now. The government is responsible. I’ve been asked to give them options for redress and I’ve done that. They have the recommendations, they have the advice, they have everything they need. Get on with it.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, February 2024
  3. Content Article
    Children are more than twice as likely as adults to experience a medication error at home. In this interview for the journal Patient Safety, Dr Kathleen Walsh, paediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital, discusses why that is the case and provides some tips to keep children—and adults—safe.
  4. News Article
    Concerns have been raised that patients may not be receiving “vital” safety information after HSJ discovered a high-risk medication was frequently not being dispensed as originally packaged. In 2018, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency asked pharmacies to dispense valproate-containing medications in their original pack where possible, to ensure packages include safety warnings. It also asked manufacturers to produce smaller pack sizes and add pictorial warnings, while pharmacists were additionally asked to add stickered warnings to the outer box of any valproate-containing medication not dispensed in its original packaging. Yet, data obtained via freedom of information requests to the NHS Business Services Authority revealed that while the proportion and number of valproate-containing items dispensed as split packs – as opposed to whole packs – had decreased over the last five years, split packs still accounted for more than half of items dispensed in 2022-23. Emma Murphy, of campaign group In-Fact, said the figures on split pack dispensing were “quite horrifying” and showed “the system is not working”. She added: “Attitudes have got to change – prescribers, GPs etc need to be proactive and warn women of the risks because this isn’t just a side effect, this is harming real babies. As a mum of five affected children, the consequences of valproate in pregnancy on that baby is devastating.” Alison Fuller, of Epilepsy Action, said the high proportion of split packs being dispensed made it “clear why the change in guidance introduced in October 2023 was necessary”, adding: “The manufacturer’s original full pack always contains all the relevant information, which is why it’s the best option for patient awareness.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ,
  5. Content Article
    During the first wave of Covid-19, the drug hydroxychloroquine was used off-label despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits. Since then, a meta-analysis of randomised trials showed that the drug's use was associated with an 11% increase in the mortality rate. This study in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy aimed to estimate the number of hydroxychloroquine-related deaths worldwide.
  6. Content Article
    ECRI's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2024 list identifies the potential sources of danger ECRI believe warrant the greatest attention this year and offers practical recommendations for reducing risks. Since its creation in 2008, this list has supported hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgery centres and manufacturers in addressing risks that can impact patients and staff. 
  7. News Article
    Treatments for seven conditions such as sore throats and earaches are now available directly from pharmacists, without the need to visit a doctor. The Pharmacy First scheme will allow most chemists in England to issue prescriptions to patients without appointments or referrals. NHS England says it will free up around 10 million GP appointments a year. Pharmacy groups welcome the move but there is concern about funding and recent chemist closures. Pharmacists can carry out confidential consultations and advise whether any treatment, including antibiotics, are needed for the list of seven minor ailments. Patients needing more specialist or follow-up care will be referred onwards. Read full story Source: BBC News, 31 January 2024
  8. News Article
    People who are severely ill with suspected sepsis should promptly be given life-saving access to antibiotics to prevent unnecessary deaths, according to updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE.) The guidelines state that the national early warning score should be used to assess people with suspected sepsis aged 16 and over, who are not and have not recently been pregnant, and are in an acute hospital setting or ambulance. The updated guidance also recommends that doctors are more considerate as to who is given antibiotics, in order to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance in people being prescribed them for less severe cases of sepsis. With the update, NICE says that more people will be categorised at a lower risk level where a sepsis diagnosis should be confirmed before being given antibiotics. Prof Jonathan Benger, Nice’s chief medical officer, said: “This useful and usable guidance will help ensure antibiotics are targeted to those at the greatest risk of severe sepsis, so they get rapid and effective treatment. It also supports clinicians to make informed, balanced decisions when prescribing antibiotics. “We know that sepsis can be difficult to diagnose so it is vital there is clear guidance on the updated [national early warning score] so it can be used to identify illness, ensure people receive the right treatment in the right clinical setting and save lives." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 31 January 2024
  9. News Article
    New digital prescriptions mean NHS App users in England can now collect medication from a pharmacy without having to visit a GP or health centre. The usual paper slip given by doctors has been replaced by an in-app barcode, which can be scanned at any pharmacy. Users can already request repeat prescriptions on the app - and every digital order fulfilled will save the GP three minutes, NHS Digital says. It comes after a trial last year, involving more than a million users. Patients can use the app to check what medicines they have been prescribed, and when. Anyone who has a nominated pharmacy can continue to collect medication without a paper prescription or barcode, as the details are sent to their pharmacy electronically. Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 January 2024
  10. Event
    If you work in primary care or primary care research, this one-hour NIHR Evidence webinar is for you. This webinar will cover NIHR research that could help reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care. Speakers will present actionable evidence on antibiotic stewardship, and safe and effective prescribing. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A session, giving you a unique opportunity to quiz the researchers on how this research could be implemented at your organisation and reflect on potential barriers and facilitators. The webinar will cover: making decisions about who is in most need of antibiotics if antibiotics are needed for children with chest infections how digital tools can help reduce antibiotic prescribing. Register
  11. News Article
    Campaigners have said that more lives would be lost unless mental health services were reformed. Figures show 120 people each year are killed by people with mental illnesses. Julian Hendy, whose father was killed by a psychotic man with a long history of mental ill health 17 years ago, said health professionals must be “more assertive” and work better with other agencies such as the police. Valdo Calocane, who was sentenced on Thursday to an indefinite hospital order after being convicted of manslaughter of three people in Nottingham, had fallen off the radar of mental health services, which allowed him to avoid taking his medicine. Hendy accused Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which was responsible for Calocane’s care, of “washing their hands” of him. He said: “It’s not responsible and it’s not safe. It doesn’t look after people properly … That hasn’t helped him at all, or protected his rights at all, because he has now committed this terrible offence.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 26 January 2024
  12. News Article
    Diabetes patients have told the BBC they are struggling without what they have called a "wonder drug". Experts estimate about 400,000 people with Type 2 diabetes could have been affected by a national supply shortage caused by rising demand. The new generation of medicines - GLP-1 receptor agonists - mimic a hormone that not only controls blood sugar levels but also suppresses appetite. The government said it was trying to help resolve the supply chain issues. NHS England has issued a National Patient Safety Alert for the drugs. The NHS alerts require action to be taken by healthcare providers to reduce the risk of death or disability. The diabetes medicines in short supply are Ozempic, Trulicity, Victoza, Byetta, and Bydureon. They work via injections instead of tablets. The group of medicines has been used by the NHS for diabetes for around a decade but in recent years there has been a growth in private clinics prescribing the same drugs for weight loss for people who do not have diabetes, pushing up demand. Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic and Victoza, told the BBC it was experiencing shortages of its medicines for people in the UK with Type 2 diabetes due to "unprecedented levels of demand". Read full story Source: BBC News, 26 January 2024 Have you (or a loved one) ever been prescribed medication that you were then unable to get hold of at the pharmacy or in hospital? To help us understand how these issues impact the lives of patients and families, please share your experience and insights in our hub community thread on the topic here or drop a comment below. You'll need to register with the hub first, its free and easy to do.
  13. Content Article
    Sarah Rainey talks to Olivia Djouadi about her experience of type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE), which is thought to affect up to 40% of women and 15% of men with type 1 diabetes. People with T1DE, sometimes also called diabulimia, limit their insulin intake to control their weight, which can have life-threatening consequences. Olivia describes how the stress of living with type 1 contributed to her developing T1DE, and how when she finally received treatment and support in her 30s, she was able to deal with her disordered eating and see her health and wellbeing improve.
  14. Content Article
    Poor health literacy can inhibit patient or caregiver understanding of care instructions and threaten patient safety. This cross-sectional study from Selzer et al. of medically complex children treated at one academic hospital in Austria reveals that despite high levels of satisfaction with care, many caregivers do not understand medication management instructions at discharge. Misunderstandings were more likely to occur with higher numbers and/or new prescriptions, poor medication-related communication, and language or literacy barriers.
  15. Content Article
    Medicine shortages in the UK have been a regular feature on newspaper front pages in recent years. As a doctor on the frontline, Ammad Butt sees how this instability in our medicine supply chain is playing out on the ground. Ammad works in a large city hospital and is used to meeting disgruntled patients who have had to wait hours in clinic to receive treatment. But just imagine their concern when he has to explain to them that the medication they usually took to treat them with is not available, and that they will have to take an alternative instead or stay in hospital for even longer as a result. In the past year, Ammad has routinely seen patients having to go without medication for common conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diabetes and even acne that would otherwise be easily managed, or being forced to take alternatives that are less appropriate. And new EU plans for its members to work together to stockpile key medicines will only worsen shortages in the UK. Patients tell Ammad they feel others are receiving better treatment than they are. And they are right, in some ways. Healthcare professionals are being put in a difficult situation having to explain why they are making compromises in their care. It all adds to the sense among patients and healthcare professionals alike that the health service is not working for the most vulnerable. Have you (or a loved one) ever been prescribed medication that you were then unable to get hold of at the pharmacy?  Have you (or a loved one) ever been prescribed medication that you were then unable to get hold of at the pharmacy or in hospital? To help us understand how these issues impact the lives of patients and families, please share your experience and insights in our hub community thread on the topic here or drop a comment below. You'll need to register with the hub first, its free and easy to do. 
  16. News Article
    The EU is to stockpile key medicines that will worsen the record drug shortages in the UK, with experts warning that the country could be left “behind in the queue”. The EU is seeking to safeguard its supplies by switching to a system in which its 27 members work together to secure reliable supplies of 200 commonly used medications, such as antibiotics, painkillers and vaccines. But the bloc’s move to insulate itself from growing drug shortages threatens to exacerbate the increasing scarcity of medicines facing the NHS, posing serious problems for doctors. “Europe is securing access to key drugs and vaccines as a single region, with huge influence and buying power. As a result of Brexit the UK is now isolated from this system, so our drug supplies could be at risk in the future,” said Dr Andrew Hill, an expert on the pharmaceutical trade. Britain is experiencing a record level of drug shortages, with more than 100 – including treatments for cancer, type 2 diabetes and motor neurone disease – scarce or impossible to obtain. Mark Dayan, the Brexit programme lead at the Nuffield Trust health thinktank, said the EU’s decision to act as a buying cartel could seriously disadvantage Britain. “There is a real risk that measures in such a large neighbour, which is now a separate market due to Brexit, will leave the UK behind in the queue when shortages strike,” Dayan said. It also has an initiative for member states to transfer stocks of medicine to cover shortages in others. These measures could shut UK purchasers out in certain scenarios. “This would risk worsening shortages from a starting point where they are already exceptionally severe for the UK and other countries, with a mounting impact in terms of costs and wasted time for the NHS, and in terms of patients struggling to get what their doctors have said they need.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 25 January 2024 Have you (or a loved one) ever been prescribed medication that you were then unable to get hold of at the pharmacy or in hospital? To help us understand how these issues impact the lives of patients and families, please share your experience and insights in our hub community thread on the topic here or drop a comment below. You'll need to register with the hub first, its free and easy to do.
  17. Content Article
    Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem in healthcare, especially in nursing homes where up to 75% of antibiotics are prescribed inappropriately. This series of webinars from the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority covers various aspects of antibiotic stewardship including: Types of antimicrobials Why antibiotic stewardship and who should be at the table Antimicrobial usage Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance Antibiograms Antimicrobial baseline data Developing an antimicrobial stewardship plan Antimicrobial usage data
  18. Content Article
    This is a safety critical and complex National Patient Safety Alert. Implementation should be co-ordinated by an executive lead (or equivalent role in organisations without executive boards) and supported by clinical leaders in diabetes, GP practices, pharmacy services in all sectors, weight loss clinics, private healthcare providers and those working in the Health and Justice sector.
  19. Content Article
    This resource library has been created by Health Innovation West of England to provide support materials in one location for people living with pain and professionals supporting people living with pain.
  20. Content Article
    This is part of our series of Patient Safety Spotlight interviews, where we talk to people working for patient safety about their role and what motivates them. Benjamin talks about why we need a radical shift in how we view and treat people with chronic pain and how over-investigation and over-treatment compromise patient safety. He also talks about the power of communal singing for people with long-term conditions and what wild swimming has taught him about supporting people living with chronic pain.
  21. Content Article
    New safety and educational materials have been introduced for men and women and healthcare professionals to reduce the harms from valproate, including the significant risk of serious harm to the baby if taken during pregnancy and the risk of impaired fertility in males. These safety and educational materials support the new regulatory measures announced in the National Patient Safety Alert. Healthcare professionals should review the new measures and materials and integrate them into their clinical practice when referring patients and when prescribing or dispensing valproate.
  22. News Article
    A national shortage of epilepsy medication is putting patients' safety at risk, consultants have said. Medical professionals are becoming genuinely concerned as ever more frequent supply issues continue to bite tens of thousands of sufferers. According to the Epilepsy Society charity, over 600,000 people in the UK have the condition, or about one in every 100 people. Among them is Charlotte Kelly, a mother of two living in London who has had epilepsy for over 20 years. She must take two tablets a day to manage her condition but issues with supply have forced her to start rationing her medication. Speaking to Sky News, Ms Kelly told us of the fear surrounding the restricted access to the medicate she needs to survive. "I'm scared. If I'm truly honest, I'm scared knowing that I might not get any medication for a few weeks, or a couple of months, I just don't know when. "It's scary to know that I have to worry about getting hold of medication. I do believe that something needs to happen very quickly because even if it's pre-ordered there's no guarantee you're going to get it. Speaking to Sky News, Professor Ley Sander, director of medical services at the Epilepsy Society, says the supply concern is not just on the minds of patients but those in the industry too. "It might be that we need a strategic reserve for storage of drugs, we might have to bring drugs over from other parts of the world to avoid this from recurring. "We're not at that point yet, but this is an urgent issue." Read full story Source: Sky News, 21 January 2024
  23. Community Post
    Have you (or a loved one) ever been prescribed medication that you were then unable to get hold of at the pharmacy? Was there an impact on your health (physical and mental)? Were you told the reason for it not being available? Was the issue resolved? If so, how long did it take? If you are still impacted by medication supply issues, have you been told when you will be able to access them again? To help us understand how these issues impact the lives of patients and families, please share your experience and insights in the comments below. You'll need to register with the hub first, its free and easy to do. We would also like to hear from pharmacists working in community or hospital settings, and others who have insights to share on this issue. What barriers and challenges have you seen around medication availability? Is there anything that can be done to improve wider systems or processes? Please comment below or email us at content@pslhub.org
  24. Content Article
    Medication shortages can occur for many reasons, including manufacturing and quality problems, delays and discontinuations. This Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database provides information on drugs with a supply issue. Information is provided to the FDA by manufacturers.
  25. News Article
    People trying to buy illicit synthetic opioids and sedatives online to treat pain, anxiety and insomnia increasingly risk taking a different drug that has caused dozens of deaths among heroin users, a leading expert has warned. Nitazenes – synthetic and extremely powerful drugs implicated in fatalities of chronic powdered heroin users in Birmingham, Bristol and London in recent months – have been detected in illicit supplies of tablets being sold as diazepam and codeine that appeal to a wider market. New figures released to the Guardian by the National Crime Agency reveal 65 people have died from taking nitazenes in the past six months – more than two a week, while detections in drug supplies have increased more than fivefold in the last two years. “[Nitazenes] are being mixed into heroin but it is also in fake diazepam, fake codeine and the person buying the tablets online is a very different kind of user to a heroin user,” Dr Caroline Copeland, the director of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths said. “It means the risk is much wider.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 January 2024
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

 Accept Cookies  Reject Cookies