Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Pharmacist'.
Found 183 results
-
Content Article
Belfast Healthy Cities: Pharmacy Schools Programme (2021)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
The Pharmacy Schools Programme is an innovative teaching resource developed by Belfast Healthy Cities. Using a health literacy approach, it is designed to be used in primary schools in Northern Ireland to help educate children about self-care, medication safety and community pharmacy services. -
Content ArticleAs the global population ages, more people are likely to suffer from multiple long term illnesses and therefore take multiple medications. This report by the World Health Organization highlights the importance of leadership in nurturing a culture that prioritises safe, high-quality prescribing, provides guidance on medication review, and emphasises the role of the patient in prescribing decisions. It also examines the role of multi-professional teams across the healthcare system, including amongst policy makers. The report includes tools and case studies which illustrate a systematic approach that can be followed across the health and care system to ensure that patients are integral to the decisions about their medications.
-
Content ArticleSamantha Gould was 16 years old when she died by suicide due to an overdose of prescribed medication on 2 September 2018. She had borderline personality disorder that meant she was at risk of deliberate self-harm and suicide. In this report, the Coroner highlights concerns about a systemic weakness in the way in which Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and primary care communicate with local pharmacies concerning 16-18 year old patients who are at risk of deliberate overdose. In spite of a safety plan agreed with Sam’s consultant psychiatrist whereby Sam’s parents would be responsible for her medication, Sam was able to pick up older prescriptions on 1 September 2018 without challenge, and it was those medications that were fatal in the combined amounts ingested by Sam.
-
Content ArticleIn North America, although pharmacists are obligated to ensure prescribed medications are appropriate, information about a patient’s reason for use is not a required component of a legal prescription. The benefits of prescribers including the reason for use on prescriptions is evident in the current literature. However, it is not standard practice to share this information with pharmacists.The aim of this study was to characterise the research on how including the reason for use on a prescription impacts pharmacists.The results suggest that including the reason for use on a prescription can help the pharmacist catch more errors, reduce the need to contact prescribers, support patient counseling, impact communication, and improve patient safety. Reasons that may prevent prescribers from adding the reason for use information are concerns about workflow and patient privacy.
-
Content ArticlePersistent Covid-19 illness following an acute infection with SARS-CoV-2 can have both a physical and psychological impact. Pharmacists in community and primary care should be able to provide patients with appropriate advice and support to manage their symptoms.
-
Content ArticleThe US Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) list of error-prone abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations contains abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations which have been reported through the ISMP National Medication Errors Reporting Program (ISMP MERP) and have been misinterpreted and involved in harmful or potentially harmful medication errors. These abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations should NEVER be used when communicating medical information verbally, electronically, and/or in handwritten applications. This includes internal communications; verbal, handwritten, or electronic prescriptions; handwritten and computer-generated medication labels; drug storage bin labels; medication administration records; and screens associated with pharmacy and prescriber computer order entry systems, automated dispensing cabinets, smart infusion pumps, and other medication-related technologies.
-
Content ArticleThis white paper documents a roundtable discussion held at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care in Europe 2021. Participants discussed how smart medication management can be improved to optimise healthcare quality and efficiency. The meeting was chaired by Yu-Chuan (Jack) Li, a researcher of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine and medical informatics, and editor-in-chief of BMJ Health and Care Informatics.
-
Content ArticleThis scoping review in JMIR Human Factors looked at existing research into how including the reason for use on a prescription impacts pharmacists. It suggests that including the reason for use on a prescription can help the pharmacist catch more errors, reduce the need to contact prescribers, support patient counselling, impact communication and improve patient safety. Concerns about workflow and patient privacy may be factors that prevent the inclusion of use information. The review identified that more research is needed to better understand how the inclusion of use information affects pharmacists.
- Posted
- 1 comment
-
1
-
- (and 3 more)
-
Content Article
Blog - Safe medicine saves lives (14 January 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
In this blog, Roohil Yusuf, Global Pharmacy Advisor at Save the Children, looks at the different factors involved in providing access to life-saving medication, including planning, sourcing, use and management of medicines. She tells the story of Habibah, a three-year-old girl from Nigeria, who was able to access medication for Severe Acute Nutrition and tuberculosis at one of Save the Children's treatment centres. She also looks at the dangers of counterfeit and expired medicines, and explores how organisations can take steps to prevent poor quality, counterfeit or expired medicines being given to patients. -
Content ArticleThis qualitative study in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy examined how staff working in UK community pharmacy during the first waves of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 responded and adapted to new pressures on their services to maintain patient safety. From responses gathered from 23 community pharmacy staff in England and Scotland, the authors identified five themes: Covid-19, an impending threat to system Patient safety stressors during the first waves of Covid-19 Altering the system, responding to system stressors Monitoring and adjusting Learning for the future. They found that pharmacy staff responded and adapted to the evolving situation, monitoring the success of measures and protocols adopted in response to the pressures of the pandemic.
-
Content ArticleThe purpose of these standards is to create and maintain the right environment, both organisational and physical, for the safe and effective practice of pharmacy. The standards apply to all pharmacies registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
-
EventuntilThis webinar by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in the US is aimed at: Pharmacists, physicians, nurses Medication safety officers Quality professionals Risk managers Leaders in pharmacy and nursing Pharmacy and anaesthesia technicians Although most medications in healthcare today have a wide margin of safety, there remains some which can cause serious harm or death if they are misused. To reduce the risk of error with these “high-alert” medications, special precautions and high leverage strategies should be implemented to avoid serious patient safety events. Numerous organizations have taken steps to identify these medications, but many are still less than confident that they have taken all the necessary precautions against serious patient harm. Join the ISMP faculty as we focus particular attention on the potential safe use risks with heparin, concentrated electrolytes, and magnesium using the results from ISMP’s National Medication Safety Self Assessment® for High-Alert Medications. Faculty will review specific safety characteristics of each these important drug classes, describe self-assessment findings related to the use of these medications, and discuss the necessary practice strategies for harm prevention when using these high-alert medications. Register for the webinar 3.00pm Eastern Time (US and Canada), 8.00pm GMT
-
EventuntilThis webinar by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in the US is aimed at: Pharmacists, physicians, nurses Medication safety officers Quality professionals Risk managers Leaders in pharmacy and nursing Pharmacy and anaesthesia technicians Although most medications in healthcare today have a wide margin of safety, there remains some which can cause serious harm or death if they are misused. To reduce the risk of error with these “high-alert” medications, special precautions and high leverage strategies should be implemented to avoid serious patient safety events. Many organizations have taken steps to identify these medications, but many are still less than confident that they have taken all the necessary precautions with high-alert drugs against serious patient harm. Join the ISMP faculty as we examine and define the importance of high alert medications as part of routine patient care and review the results of ISMP’s National Medication Safety Self Assessment® for High-Alert Medications with particular attention to vasopressors and insulin. Faculty will review specific safety characteristics of each these important drug classes, describe self assessment findings related to the use of these medications and discuss the necessary strategies for harm prevention when using these medications. Register for the webinar 3.00pm Eastern Time (US and Canada), 8.00pm GMT
-
Content ArticleThe Extensive Care Service is part of the Fylde coast Vanguard and is designed for frail elderly patients with two or more long-term conditions who are at high-risk of an emergency admission. Working closely with patients, the service aims to assist them to improve their health and wellbeing; support them to manage their own conditions and provide effective interventions when needed in order to better manage exacerbations of their conditions. One of the key components of the care model is patient activation. The service teams’ understanding of an individual’s ability to contribute to the management of their own health and wellbeing is key to ensuring the success of this approach. The model is new, different and includes the development of a unique role - a ‘wellbeing support worker’. These individuals are a consistent feature in a model which enables a fuller understanding of a patient’s ‘activation’ ability so that engagement and support can be tailored appropriately.
-
Content ArticleThis report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) looks at medication safety in NHS trusts, focusing on the role of medication safety officers.
-
Content ArticleSoojin Jun, a pharmacist and a patient advocate, discusses three ways in which pharmacists can help solve the health crisis in the US."The first and foremost value of recognizing pharmacists as providers is that we can help deprescribing medications and guide patients to healthier lives for many chronic illnesses. Many insurance and government sponsored programs are wasting money by “restricting” how pharmacists should practice under their laws and regulations when they can better use the time and money by “guiding” how pharmacists could practice as providers."
-
News Article
Pharmacists 'to be given right to prescribe so GPs have more time with patients'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Pharmacists will be allowed to write prescriptions under plans reportedly being considered by England's Health Secretary Sajid Javid. Mr Javid last month vowed the Government will "do a lot more" to ensure GPs see more patients face-to-face following complaints from the public. The proposals would see more prescriptions provided through pharmacies and hospitals for routine illnesses to allow doctors more time to see patients in person, according to The Sunday Times. GPs will also reportedly be able to pass off bureaucratic processes such as providing supporting medical evidence to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over a patient's fitness to drive. The plans are expected to include sanctions for doctors who do not increase the number of face-to-face appointments with patients, the paper added. Read full story Source: 11 October 2021, Medscape -
Content ArticleThis Clinical Audit Guide has been written to help community and hospital pharmacists prepare for and conduct clinical audits. To view this guidance you need to be a Royal Pharmaceutical Society member.
-
Content ArticleDaily safety briefings, also referred to as “huddles,” are conducted within hospitals in efforts to minimize errors and improve patient safety. These briefings are intended to be quick, efficient, and meaningful to health care workers. The purpose of this research is to assess current and perceived best practices related to safety huddles in health-system pharmacy departments, including timing, location, persons involved, and topics covered.
-
Content ArticleThis research focused on the Clinical pharmacist (CP) interventions from the PROTECTED-UK cohort. Data was collected from 21 adult critical care units over 14 days and interventions were catergorised as an error, optimisation or consults, with pharmacy service demographics also being collected by investigator survey.
-
Content ArticleThe present research conducted a prospective observational study in 21 UK critical care units (CCU's) from 5-18 November 2012 with the aim to describe clinical pharmacist interventions. Data was collected via a web portal where specialist critical care pharmacists could make their reports, with each intervention classified as medication error, optimization or consult. A total of 20, 517 prescriptions were reviewed with 3294 interventions recorded during the weekdays. Results demonstrated that both medication error resolution and pharmacist-led optimisation rates were substantial.
-
Content ArticleClinical pharmacists reduce medication errors and optimise the use of medication in critically ill patients, although actual staffing level and deployment of UK pharmacists is unknown. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the UK deployment of the clinical pharmacy workforce in critical care and compare this with published standards. The authors conclude that investment in pharmacy services is required to improve access to clinical pharmacy expertise at weekends, on MDT ward rounds and for other critical care activities.
-
Content ArticleThese professional standards describe good practice and good systems of care for reporting, learning, sharing, taking action and review as part of a patient safety culture. The accompanying guidance and information support the implementation of the standards. These professional standards are for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the wider pharmacy team across the United Kingdom. This may also be of interest to the public, to people who use pharmacy and healthcare services, healthcare professionals working with pharmacy teams, regulators and commissioners of pharmacy services.
-
Content ArticleThe Patient Safety Authority are inviting PharmD students and faculty to submit their manuscripts by 30 June. A panel of guest editors—pharmacy experts from across the United States—will select their favourites.
-
Content ArticleDr Helen Simpson, Lisa Shepherd and Dr Steve Kell summarise the guidance and implementation of the steroid emergency card in primary care.
