The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7424 p505
28 October 2006

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“Drug safety belt” used to communicate aims of pharmaceutical care

A community pharmacy campaign that invites patients to wear a “drug safety belt” to communicate the concepts of pharmaceutical care is helping reduce drug-related problems in Austria.

Speaking at the annual symposium of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy held in Vienna last week, Christian Wurstbauer, chief executive of PharmCare Network, explained that improved patient care and better business results were the twin drivers for the project that has persuaded nearly 40,000 patients to “put on the drug safety belt”.

His company had first developed training material for pharmacists concerned with asthma, diabetes and hypertension. Standard methods of consultation and documentation were introduced and the results were encouraging. In a study of 178 patients with asthma, 50 per cent reported improved quality of life and there was a “remarkable” two-thirds reduction in sick days. However, the pharmacists were unhappy with the paper-based system and thought that the service should be available to all patients. Software was developed that automatically generates a patient record, integrated with the dispensing process. It provides real-time interaction and duplication checks focused on current medications. A “traffic-light” presentation guides pharmacists to the most critical issues to discuss with patients.

The term “drug safety belt” was coined to help patients understand the concept of pharmaceutical care and posters and publicity material were distributed to all participating pharmacies. The message to patients is that with the drug safety belt, the pharmacist will check that medicines are safe for the individual. Patients are able to register for the service free of charge. The campaign quickly attracted media attention and gained support from politicians, doctors and patients.

Almost 300 pharmacies now participate in the scheme. Drug interactions have been reduced by 40 per cent and compliance has improved by 23 per cent. Moreover, 70 per cent of drug-related problems can be resolved in the pharmacy. Current developments include the introduction of a central medication database, linking pharmacies through the Health Information Network and providing patients with control of their data through smart cards.