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News

Medicines reconciliation guidance
Pharmacists should be involved with medicines reconciliation as soon as possible after a patient is admitted to hospital, according to guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in collaboration with the National Patient Safety Agency

Patient safety is progressing significantly towards the top of the NHS agenda, according to a report from the NPSA: “Safety first: one year on”


SSRIs might interact with methyl blue
Hospital pharmacists working in pre-admission clinics should remain vigilant for a potential interaction between methylthioninium chloride (methylene blue) and serotonergic drugs, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The recommendations are published in the January 2008 edition of Drug Safety Update

News in brief

A new infection control strategy was published by the Department of Health this month and extra funding was announced for specialist staff. “Clean, safe care: reducing infections and saving lives” highlights the importance of employing an antimicrobial pharmacist.

New guidance about how to reduce dispensing errors was published by the National Patient Safety Agency recently. Two new documents focus on the design of the dispensing area in hospital and community pharmacies and on the design of the dispensed product.
Design for patient safety

High incidence of influenza in the UK has triggered the implementation of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the use of antiviral drugs, according to the Department of Health. The NICE guidance specifies the patient groups and situations in which the prescription of antivirals is suitable.

The Parkinson’s Disease Society has produced advice for hospital pharmacists to help them ensure that patients with Parkinson’s disease get their medicines on time during their hospital stay. The advice forms part of the “Get it on time” campaign which includes resources for patients.

‘Introduction to renal therapeutics’, a new publication from the Pharmaceutical Press, has now been published.
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