Treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) must be individualised to fit in with a patient's lifestyle, pharmacists were told last week. Mr Neil Caldwell (lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University and principal pharmacist, Wirral Hospital NHS Trust) said that the volume of drug therapy and other treatments, such as physiotherapy, which cystic fibrosis patients required was very time consuming. Planning treatments around individual patient's requirements and modifying treatment ideals where necessary would improve compliance, he said.
Other factors contributing to compliance problems in CF included patients receiving conflicting information. For example, patient information leaflets dispensed with antibiotics described short-term treatment, which was often not the case for CF patients. Another source of confusion arose if community pharmacists were not aware of the high doses of antibiotics needed by CF patients.
Mr Caldwell was speaking on February 3 at a meeting in Derby of the newly-formed CF pharmacist special interest group. At the same meeting, Mrs Fran Duncan-Skingle (CF specialist nurse, Royal Brompton hospital) said that better communication between the hospital, GP and local pharmacist would help patients to obtain medication in the community more efficiently.
Dr Jim Littlewood (Cystic Fibrosis Trust) discussed "Antibiotic treatment for cystic fibrosis," a new report from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's antibiotic group. He said that antibiotics were the "single most important thing in improving survival of CF patients." In patients with CF, the lungs were normal at birth but infections occurred from two to three months of age. These were intermittent until a "point of no return", when chronic infection developed. Antibiotic therapy had delayed this point, which now tended to be in the late teens. Regular assessments and early antibiotic therapy could eradicate infections and prevent them from becoming chronic, he said.
Professor Ros Smyth (Royal Liverpool University hospital) discussed the role of the Cochrane cystic fibrosis and genetic disorders group. She said that the Cochrane database provided unbiased systematic reviews of trials to provide evidence for making an informed clinical decision.
The meeting was the first for the CF pharmacy special interest group and pharmacists present discussed the direction the group should take.
Ms Paula Hayes (pharmacist, Alder Hey Children's hospital), who chaired the meeting, suggested four aims for the group: to promote the pharmacist as a member of a multidisciplinary team; to forge links with professional bodies such as the Cystic Fibrosis Trust; to provide education and training opportunities for pharmacists; and to promote and develop quality pharmaceutical care for patients with CF.
The group, for pharmacists working in adult and paediatric fields, would focus on sharing information through study days, newsletters and electronic means, it was agreed. Other suggestions were training for pharmacists new to the area of CF, production of resource packs for hospital and community pharmacists and the development of more appropriate patient information leaflets for people with CF. The group is currently funded by Pharmax.
Further information about the CF Pharmacist special interest group is available from Claire Chilton (Compass Communications) tel 01628 488322.