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Allan Wilson, community pharmacy adviser, North
Ayrshire Community Health Partnership
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Allan Wilson |
Community pharmacists can monitor and control patients’ blood
pressure, sharing patient care and working in partnership with GP practices.
That was the conclusion reached by Allan Wilson, a winner of one of the
2006 Pharmaceutical Care Awards.
Mr Wilson’s project was carried out in Largs, Ayrshire, from November
2005 to March 2007. It piloted a Saturday morning community pharmacy
supplementary prescribing clinic for patients with hypertension.
Such
a clinic was needed because a high proportion of the town’s population
commute to work from Monday to Friday and are, therefore, unable to attend
their GP practice during the week.
The clinic was designed to identify patients with hypertension, especially
among working people, and to target those who had previously been diagnosed
but who were not being monitored. Patients with hypertension were initiated
on medication by the GP and then referred to the pharmacist who could
monitor progress and add in more treatment if required.
The clinic was held on alternate Saturday mornings. The pharmacist used
a clinical management plan that was agreed by the GP and the patient
to monitor the patient’s progress — joint working was an
important aspect of the pilot service. A significant part of each 20-minute
consultation with the community pharmacist involved discussing lifestyle
changes, including weight management, alcohol intake, exercise, diet
and smoking, as well as talking about BP management and choice of antihypertensive
medicines.
During the study period, 56 patients paid 228 visits to the clinic, and
41 of them (73 per cent) responded to a satisfaction questionnaire. Of
these, 76 per cent were “very satisfied” with the waiting
time for a clinic appointment, 71 per cent were “very satisfied” with
the clinic venue and 95 per cent were “very satisfied” with
the timing of the clinic. Of the 40 patients who answered a question
about whether joint working between the GP and pharmacist worked well,
all agreed that it had. On a scale of 1 to 6, every respondent gave the
service an overall rating of 5 or 6.
At the end of the study, Largs Medical Group commented that it would
be keen for the service to continue. As the clinic has become established
and awareness of it has grown, referrals have increased and most clinics
are now 80 to 100 per cent full. Now, as a result of the patient satisfaction
survey, the clinic has expanded and a Friday evening service has started.
Presenting his project, Mr Wilson said: “The clinic breaks new
ground because it allows partnership working between GPs and pharmacists
within a community pharmacy setting. It improves choices for patients
and enables a more flexible working approach within primary care in the
NHS.” In addition, he said, it allows pharmacists to use their
skills and professionalism to the full. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal