Shorter MUR form will aid communication with GPs
New design was informed by feedback |
Communication between GPs and pharmacists about medicines
use reviews should be improved following the launch of a new MUR form
for use in England.
The form has been reduced to two A4 sheets and only
the first overview page of the form need now be sent to GPs and only
when action is required.
Alastair Buxton, head of NHS services at the Pharmaceutical Services
Negotiating Committee, said: “This new form will streamline the
MUR process for pharmacists and enable more efficient communication with
patients’ GPs. I hope the new form … will help more pharmacists
to conduct more MURs, so that a greater number of patients can benefit.”
New rules approved by the Secretary of State for Health remove the requirement
for contractors to send a copy of the MUR form to the GP when no action
is required (unless the GP requests they do so). Where a copy of the
new form is not sent to the GP, the contractor must notify the GP within
one month that an MUR has been conducted.
The new design was informed by feedback from pharmacists, GPs, local
pharmaceutical committees and primary care trusts. Changes include moving
the action plan and next steps section to the front and adding clinical
codes for recording on GP systems.
Mr Buxton pointed out that the launch of the new form provides an opportunity
for pharmacists to review how they are providing MURs. “It is important
that everybody remembers that the MUR is about the use of medicines,
not conducting a clinical review.”
The PSNC reminded contractors that MURs aim to improve patients’ understanding
of their medicines, highlight side effects and propose solutions where
appropriate, improve adherence to prescribed regimens and reduce medicines
wastage. MURs are not a full clinical review or an agreement about changes
to medicines.
They should not involve discussions about the effectiveness
of medicines based on test results or about the patient’s medical
condition beyond that needed to improve their understanding of the use
of their medicines.
Contractors can start to use the new form immediately. The original version
can be used until 30 September 2008, but the full form will need to be
sent to the GP.
The new version of the form can be downloaded
from the PSNC website and a photocopy template will be published
in the January 2008 issue of PSNC Community Pharmacy News. The
PSNC said that updated triplicate pads of
the form should be available soon and that pharmacy software suppliers
will update their patient medication record systems to include the new
form as quickly as possible.
MURs in Wales Pharmacy contractors in Wales
should continue to use the original version of the form until the Welsh
Assembly Government approves the new version
and amends the Welsh Directions. Further guidance will be issued by Community
Pharmacy Wales in due course.
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