Pharmacists need to see anticoagulation test results
The redesigned “yellow” booklet |
Before dispensing repeat prescriptions for anticoagulants, community pharmacists should ask to see patients' latest international normalised ratio results, the National Patient Safety Agency has recommended.
As part of a work programme and set of patient safety alerts and materials
to support implementation, which cover five areas of medicines management,
the NPSA recommends that pharmacists should not assume that prescribers
have undertaken safety checks when prescribing anticoagulants.
“Reviewing the patient-held record, which includes the date of
the last clinic appointment, the latest INR test result and current dose,
and
confirming this information with the patient, is recommended as safe
practice,” the NPSA says.
The NPSA outlines a number of other actions that can make anticoagulation
safer, including that patients are not required to split tablets, use
alternate dosing or take more tablets than necessary, and that the NHS
adopt a standardised 1,000 units in 1ml infusion of sodium heparin and
minimise the use of concentrated heparin products. The NPSA and the British
Society for Haematology have also redesigned the patient-held “yellow” information
booklet.
The other areas covered by the NPSA’s work programme and alerts
are: liquid medicine administered via oral and other enteral routes;
injectable medicines; epidural injections and infusions; and paediatric
intravenous infusions.
Senior pharmacists are being asked to take a lead on implementing the
guidance, Keith Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer for England, said
at the launch of the work programme.
“Pharmacists, with their knowledge and skills in medicines, are in a position
to take an overview of safe systems and how medicines are used in practice. Those
pharmacists will need to have the full managerial support of chief executives,
medical directors, nursing directors and others to get these important things
done,” he said.
All the recommendations should be implemented by 31 March 2008 and each of the
alerts includes a recommended time frame for implementation. Further information
is available from the NPSA
website
|
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