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Showing results for tags 'Pharmacist'.
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News Article
Shortage of cold medicines in UK is government’s fault, say pharmacists
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A shortage of cough and cold medicines in the UK is a result of ministers’ “lack of planning”, according to pharmacy leaders. Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives were accused of “being in denial” as supply chain problems worsen, with pharmacists reporting shortages of once-common cold and flu medicines. The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said throat lozenges, cough mixtures and some painkillers are among the affected medicines, after issues with the supply of antibiotics and HRT last year. “Pharmacists are struggling to obtain the very basic, most common cold and flu medicine,” chief executive Leyla Hannbeck told the PA news agency. “This isn’t just the branded medicines, it is also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixtures or painkillers – particularly the ones that are soluble. “The demand has been high because this season we’ve seen higher cases of colds and flu and people are obviously trying very hard to look after themselves and making sure that they use the relevant products to manage the symptoms. “And that has led to a shortage of these products in terms of us not being able to obtain them.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 4 January 2023 -
Content ArticleThis webinar by the World Health Organization (WHO) is part of a series hosted to mark World Patient Safety Day 2022, which focused on the theme of 'Medication without harm'. This webinar looks at medication safety in polypharmacy, introducing the WHO technical report on Medication safety in polypharmacy. It features perspectives on medication management from patients, carers and national healthcare leaders.
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News Article
Strep A kills three more children as UK activates alternative medicines plan
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Three more children have died from strep A, it has emerged, and pharmacists in the UK have been told they can supply alternative antibiotics to those originally prescribed, in a bid to ease shortages of certain forms of penicillin. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows at least 19 children have now died across the UK, while there are 7,750 cases of scarlet fever so far this season. This is more than treble the 2,538 at the same point in the year during the last comparably high season in 2017 to 2018. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for three penicillin medicines amid increased demand for the antibiotics. Pharmacists and GPs in the UK have faced serious difficulties in securing supplies of penicillin and amoxycillin, antibiotics used to treat infections including strep A. As a result, parents have reported having to visit a string of pharmacies to obtain medicines prescribed for their sick children, while the price of some antibiotics has risen sharply – a situation pharmacists say has left them facing losses. The health minister Will Quince said: “The increased demand for the antibiotics prescribed to treat strep A has meant some pharmacists have been unable to supply the medicine shown on the prescription. “These serious shortage protocols will allow pharmacists to supply an alternative form of penicillin, which will make things easier for them, patients, and GPs. “We are taking decisive action to address these temporary issues and improve access to these medicines by continuing to work with manufacturers and wholesalers to speed up deliveries, bring forward stock they have to help ensure it gets to where it’s needed, and boost supply to meet demand as quickly as possible.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 December 2022 -
Content ArticleThis study in Plos One used a prospective error analysis method—the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA)—to examine the process of dispensing medication in community pharmacy settings and identify solutions to avoid potential errors. These solutions were categorised as strong, intermediate or weak based on an established patient safety action hierarchy tool. The authors identified 88 potential errors with a total of 35 remedial solutions proposed to avoid these errors in practice. Sixteen (46%) of these remedial measures were categorised as weak, 14 (40%) as intermediate and 5 (14%) as strong according to the Veteran Affairs National Centre for Patient Safety action hierarchy. The authors suggest that future research should examine the effectiveness of the proposed remedial solutions to improve patient safety.
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Content Article
Sarah Kay and Jaydee Swarbrick are involved in the Patient Safety in Primary Care Project in Dorset. In this blog, they summarise a recent event they held to share learning from medicines incidents. -
Event
SMASH GM Dashboard – Launch event webinar
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
untilThe new and re-developed SMASH Dashboard is now ready for rollout across Greater Manchester. The Safety Medication Dashboard (SMASH) has been developed and tested by GM PSTRC researchers. It builds on the same prescribing indicators as PINCER and is a pharmacist-led intervention using audit and feedback. In this 1-hour webinar, we will showcase the new dashboard which utilises the GMCR BI Analytics Platform and provide an overview on how it works, and how it differs from the current platform. We will share the journey the SMASH has been on to this point, and the benefits it will now bring to the GM system. Details will also be provided on how to access and set up accounts, and the local processes to follow. We will have guest speakers on the day from across all of the SMASH journey and an opportunity, if time, to answer some questions. Agenda Outline: Introduction The SMASH Journey The New Dashboard and Tutorial Benefits of the New Platform Access and Processes for Your Locality Q & A Register -
Content ArticleIn July 2022, Henrietta Hughes was appointed the first ever patient safety commissioner for England. The role was recommended in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) review’s ‘First do no harm’ report, published in 2020, which explored issues relating to the use of Primodos, sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Just a few weeks into her role as the first ever patient safety commissioner for England, The Pharmaceutical Journal spoke with Henrietta Hughes to find out more about her vision for patient safety in the NHS and where pharmacists fit into that.
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Content ArticleWorld Pharmacist Day is an initiative by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) to promote the role that pharmacists play in improving patient safety. In this blog, Roohil Yusuf, Global Pharmacy Advisor at Save the Children, looks at the work of different partners in delivering safe pharmacy services in Afghanistan, Yemen and Sudan.
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Content Article
Considering Valproate video (February 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
Sodium valproate is a medication used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and migraines, but it can cause birth defects, learning disabilities and developmental problems in babies if taken during pregmamcy. This video by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust discusses the various effects of using valproate, including the potential harmful effects the medication can have on unborn foetuses. It features a conversation between a pharmacist and patient discussing the need for a valproate pregnancy prevention programme if the patient is to be prescribed valproate. -
Content ArticleIn this blog, Jen Flatman, medicines safety and governance pharmacist, discusses a resource to support people to continue to use their medicines safely once they leave hospital. The medicines safety checklist was designed by patients and carers, for patients and carers, helping bridge the transition between hospital and the next destination. The points on the checklist are designed to act as a prompt, ensuring individuals are aware of key information to continue to use their medicines safely. They also act as a reminder to the reader to ask questions if they are unsure about anything.
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News ArticleDoctors have criticised new health secretary Therese Coffey over reports that pharmacists will be allowed to prescribe antibiotics without the approval of a doctor. According to The Times, Ms Coffey’s “Plan for Patients” will give pharmacists the power to prescribe certain drugs, such as contraception, without a prescription in an effort to reduce the need for GP appointments and tackle waiting lists. Responding to reports of the plans, Rachel Clarke, an NHS palliative care doctor and writer, wrote on Twitter: “This is staggeringly irresponsible of Therese Coffey and will cause so much more harm than good. “Doctors do not – unlike Coffey – dish out spare antibiotics to our family and friends because we’re painfully aware of the harms of antibiotic resistance. Utter recklessness.” Stephen Baker, a professor at Cambridge University and an expert in molecular microbiology and antimicrobial resistance, branded the health secretary’s plans “moronic”. He told the newspaper that the more antibiotics were used “the more likely we are to get drug-resistant organisms”. He added that it was “nuts” to consider widening access to drugs, adding that resistance against antibiotics is “clearly one of the biggest problems humanity is facing in respect of infectious disease at the moment”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 October 2022
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Content ArticleIn January 2023, The Patients Association celebrates its 60th anniversary. In this interview, CEO Rachel Power talks about why The Patients Association was set up and how the organisation still aims to ensure that everyone can access and benefit from the health and care they need to live well. She describes the benefits of shifting to free membership, how patient partnership is vital to improving health and care services and The Patients Association's role in highlighting the key issues facing patients to the Government. She also highlights the key role that pharmacies play in promoting health information and delivering services to the communities they serve.
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Content ArticleThis short video talks about the importance of recognising the signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer at the earliest opportunity, and describes actions which can be taken to support earlier diagnosis. Although aimed at pharmacists, it provides useful information for all patients and healthcare professionals on symptoms that might indicate head and neck cancer.
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Content ArticleWhen leaving hospital with medicines, there can be a lot of information to take in. This checklist designed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) is designed to help patients and their carers use medications safely when they leave hospital. It includes: Questions to consider before you leave hospital Questions to consider when you’ve left hospital Further useful resources Medicines safety and governance pharmacist Jen Flatman has written a blog about how the checklist was developed.
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News ArticleMany pharmacies and physicians are forced to deny patients access to drugs, such as methotrexate, that can be used to help induce an abortion A few weeks after the supreme court’s 24 June decision to overturn the nationwide abortion rights established by Roe v Wade, the pharmacy chain Walgreens sent Annie England Noblin a message, informing her that her monthly prescription of methotrexate was held up. Noblin, a 40-year-old college instructor in rural Missouri, never had trouble getting her monthly prescription of methotrexate for her rheumatoid arthritis. So she went to her local Walgreens to figure out why, standing in line with other customers as she waited for an explanation. When it was finally her turn, a pharmacist informed Noblin – in front of the other customers behind her – that she could not release the medication until she received confirmation from Noblin’s doctor that Noblin would not use it to have an abortion. Since the supreme court’s elimination of federal abortion rights, many states have been enacting laws which highly restrict access to abortion, affecting not only pregnant women but also other patients as well as healthcare providers. As a result, many pharmacies and physicians have been forced to deny and delay patients’ access to essential medications – such as methotrexate – that can be used to help induce an abortion. Noblin is one of the 5 million methotrexate users across the US and one of the country’s many autoimmune patients. Although she was eventually given her prescription, Noblin and other patients are now forced to grapple both with a monthly invasion of privacy at pharmacies that ask them about their reproductive choices as well as the possibility of being wholly denied the medication in the future due to restrictive laws. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 September 2022
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Content ArticleMinutes from the General Pharmaceutical Council meeting held on 14 July 2022. To be confirmed 8 September 2022.
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EventuntilPharmacy Forum NI and the DoH Strategic Planning & Performance Group (SPPG) have created a three-part webinar series entitled, ‘A systematic Approach to Insulin Safety in Community Pharmacy’. The first webinar in the series will take place on Wednesday 21 September 2022 at 7-9pm via Zoom and will focus on an introduction to human factors, concepts & tools, and their relevance to patient/medication safety and the wellbeing of the pharmacy team. Event programme and registration Who should attend? These events are targeted at all members of the community pharmacy team who play a part in the safe supply of medicines to patients, namely: pharmacists and foundation trainee pharmacists pharmacy technicians and assistants owners and superintendents medicines safety leads Guest speakers We are delighted to partner with Professor Paul Bowie and Dr Helen Vosper for the three-part event series. Professor Paul Bowie is a Safety Scientist, Medical Educator and Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors specialist. He has over 25 years’ experience in a range of quality and safety leadership and advisory roles in healthcare, medical defence, military medicine and academia. He gained his doctorate in significant event analysis from the University of Glasgow in 2004 and has published over 150 papers on healthcare quality and safety in international peer-reviewed journals and co-edited a book on safety and improvement. Paul is also Honorary Professor and a PhD supervisor/examiner in the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow and a Visiting Professor at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. He is Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of General Practitioners, and a Chartered Member of the UK Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors where he is the patient safety lead of the healthcare specialist interest group Dr Helen Vosper is a chartered ergonomist and graduate of the Loughborough Human Factors Masters Programme and an academic with 15 years’ experience of teaching Human Factors to healthcare students and professionals, including pharmacy students and pharmacists. She is currently the lead for Patient Safety in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen. Helen also has a part-time role as a Senior Investigation Science Educator at the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch and is a scientific adviser in Human Factors and Patient Safety to NHS Education for Scotland.
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Content ArticleIn the UK, over 26% of adults take prescription medications and in the US the figure is around 66%. But up to 50% of patients fail to take their medications as prescribed. As healthcare steadily pivots towards digital health, Dr. Bertalan Meskó and Dr. Pranavsingh Dhunno ask how new technologies can improve medication management. In this article for The Medical Futurist, they look at the importance of empowering patients to reduce the risk of medication errors. They highlight five medication management technologies that could help patients improve their own medication safety: Smart pill dispensers which deliver audible and visual cues to remind patients to take medications at the right time Medication reminder apps which help manage medication regimens and can sync the data with a caregiver or doctor Digital therapeutics which support patients to make treatment decisions Digital pills which integrate tracking technology into pills themselves Telemedical platforms that allow patients to request advice or raise concerns with their doctors.
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Content ArticleOnline healthcare services and apps can help people take more control of their health, by getting access to care easily and when it suits them. This guidance for patients aims to help patients keep themselves safe when using online health services. Produced by a collaboration of UK health organisations, it includes six top tips for accessing healthcare online: Check if the online healthcare service and healthcare professionals working there are registered with UK regulators Ask questions about how the service works Answer questions honestly about your health and medical history Find out your options for treatment and how to take any medicines you’re prescribed Expect to be asked for consent for information to be shared with other healthcare professionals involved in your care Check what after-care you will receive
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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. Angela talks to us about how her role enables her to promote collaboration for patient safety between different layers of the healthcare system. She also tells us about how Northern Ireland is using World Patient Safety Day 2022 to help the public and healthcare staff understand how they can contribute to medication safety. -
Content ArticleThese reports by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia look at different aspects of medication safety. Medicine safety: Take care This report details the extent of harms in Australia as a result of medicine use. It highlights that 250,000 Australians are hospitalised each year, with another 400,000 presenting to emergency departments, as a result of medication errors, inappropriate use, misadventure and interactions. At least half of these incidents could have been prevented. Medicine safety: Aged care This report provides data about the real and current medication safety problems affecting older care residents across Australia. Medicine safety: Rural and remote care This report highlights the extreme challenges patients in rural and remote Australia have in accessing health care and the impact that this has on the safe and appropriate use of medicines. Medicine safety: Disability care This report focuses on the challenges that people with disability face in using medicines safely and effectively. The report found that people with disability face challenges at all stages of medicine use–prescribing, dispensing, administration and adherence and monitoring. Medicine safety forum: Informing Australia’s 10th National Health priority area This report presents a summary of views and experiences shared at a stakeholder workshop in December 2019.
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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. Soojin talks to us about how her personal experience of harm motivated her to work in healthcare and campaign for patient safety, the power of collaboration in improving healthcare safety and how healthcare workers can take steps to improve their own patient interactions. -
Content ArticleThis blog on the NHS England website looks at how Written Medicine, a service that provides bilingual medication information, is helping to reduce healthcare inequalities and medical errors in London. Written Medicine’s software allows pharmacies and hospitals to translate and print medication information, instructions and warnings. Drawn from a dataset of 3,500 phrases, printed labels are available in fifteen different languages. The bilingual labels help patients take ownership of their treatment, giving them a better understanding of how to take their prescribed medication. The solution is helping to reduce errors, improve medication adherence and enhance patient safety and experience. The blog also looks at the experience of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) using Written Medicine. A 2019 audit showed that the service was valued by patients and highly successful in increasing medication adherence through empowering patients.
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News ArticleA shortage of some medicines is putting patients at risk, pharmacists have warned. A poll of 1,562 UK pharmacists for the Pharmaceutical Journal found more than half (54%) believed patients had been put at risk in the past six months due to shortages. A number of patients have been facing difficulties accessing some medicines in recent months, sometimes having to go to multiple pharmacies to find their prescription or needing to go back to their GP to be prescribed an alternative. Since June, the government has issued a number of "medicine supply notifications", which highlight shortages. Some of these include: pain relief drugs used in childbirth; mouth ulcer medication; migraine treatment; an antihistamine; a drug used by prostate cancer and endomitosis patients; an antipsychotic drug used among bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients; a type of inhaler and a certain brand of insulin. Read full story Source Sky News, 11August 2022
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Content Article
Laurence Goldberg, an independent pharmaceutical consultant, discusses the effectiveness and also the potential for harm of unit-dose medicines distribution.
