New guidelines for community pharmacists on the care of people with diabetes are to be launched by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society during the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Cardiff this month.
The guidelines have been prepared with the support of the British Diabetic Association to assist pharmacists who wish to become more involved in the extended diabetes team.
The guidelines begin with an introduction outlining current thinking in diabetes care. This is followed by sections on how to get started, practice advice (where distinctions are drawn between essential and desirable practice), referral criteria and quality assurance. An extensive reference section contains specific references from easily accessible journals, relevant textbooks and journals, courses in diabetes care available to pharmacists and details of services available from the British Diabetic Association. Appendices give references for recent projects on diabetes care involving pharmacists in the United Kingdom, a critical review of pharmaceutical care in patients with diabetes, examples of resources which can be used with patients and details of how to audit the quality of service.
Copies of the guidelines are available free on request to all community pharmacists and other interested individuals and bodies. Pharmacists wishing to receive a copy should contact Ms Angela Canning, Practice Division, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN (tel 020 7820 3399 ext 270; fax 020 7582 3401; e-mail Acanning@rpsgb.org.uk). Pharmacists should give their Society registration number.
Complimentary copies of the guidelines are being sent to relevant pharmacy organisations, to pharmaceutical advisers and to superintendent pharmacists of the major multiples.
The launch of the guidelines will take place during a conference session on diabetes care on September 16. Further details of the session can be obtained from the British Pharmaceutical Conference office at the above address (tel 020 7820 3275/3241/ 3243; e-mail conference@rpsgb.org.uk).
The diabetes guidelines are the first in a series to be produced by the Society on the management of long-term conditions. Two further sets of guidelines are in preparation: guidance on mental health is due for completion in May, 2000, and guidance on asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease should be available later the same year.