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Showing results for tags 'Medication'.
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Content Article
Intravenous drug administration has been associated with severe medication errors in hospitals. This narrative review and aimed to describe the recent evolution in research on systemic causes and defences in intravenous medication errors in hospitals. It highlights a growing interest in systems-based risk management for intravenous drug therapy and in introducing new technology, particularly smart infusion pumps and preparation systems, as systemic defences. The authors conclude that when introducing new technologies, prospective assessment and continuous monitoring of emerging safety risks should be conducted.- Posted
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Content Article
Film: "Medicating Normal" (19 April 2024)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Medication
This full-length, award-winning documentary unearths the shattering truth that millions of people worldwide are injured by prescribed psychiatric medications. Interweaving stories of harm with expert testimony, the film reveals how a profit-driven industry hides the risks of long-term use. This untold story is a compelling call to examine the consequences of medicating normal human suffering.- Posted
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News Article
Antidepressant withdrawal affects one in six people
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One out of every six people have symptoms when they stop taking antidepressants - fewer than previously thought, a review of previous studies suggests. The researchers say their findings will help inform doctors and patients "without causing undue alarm". The Lancet Psychiatry review looked at data from 79 trials involving more than 20,000 patients. Some had been treated with antidepressants and others with a dummy drug or placebo, which helped researchers gauge the true effect of withdrawing from the drugs. Some people have unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea and insomnia when they stop taking antidepressants, which, the researchers say, can cause considerable distress. Previous estimates suggested antidepressant discontinuation symptoms (ADS) affected 56% of patients, with almost half of cases classed as severe. But this review, from the Universities of Berlin and Cologne, estimates one out of every every six or seven patients can expect symptoms when stopping antidepressants and one in 35 will have severe symptoms. Read full story Source: BBC News, 6 June 2024- Posted
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Content Article
This blog is part of a series written by Dr Charlie*, taking a closer look at some of the patient safety issues affecting people's lives today. In this blog Dr Charlie tells us how their elderly mother was met with multiple digital barriers when trying to access her medications. Describing the situation as a frustrating goose-chase, Dr Charlie summarises the blog by questioning what measures are put in place to safeguard patients during digital transformations. *not the authors real name- Posted
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Content Article
Despite not being indicated for lactation in the UK, the anti-sickness medicine domperidone is increasingly being prescribed or bought illegally to aid lactation, but its side-effects can include anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. In this account for The Guardian, Rose Stokes describes her experience of being prescribed domperidone after the birth of her son. When her milk production didn't increase and with her mental health rapidly deteriorating, Rose bought her own supply of the drug online and through a private doctor and ended up taking more than five times the NHS maximum dose. When her mental state continued to worsen, she decided to suddenly stop taking domperidone which left her suicidal. She describes receiving no guidance on the mental health risks associated with the medication or sudden withdrawal.- Posted
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Content Article
Safety-netting advice is information shared with a patient or their carer to help them identify the need to seek further help if their condition fails to improve or changes. In some instances, it is mandatory for pharmacists to give patients safety-netting advice. This article in the Pharmaceutical Journal provides advice for pharmacists on how they can provide this advice clearly and appropriately. The article explains the importance of safety-netting and when it is appropriate, describes elements to include when safety-netting and provides advice on how to adequately document advice given.- Posted
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Primodos 2024: The Quest for Justice Continues (22 May 2024)
Mark Hughes posted an article in Medication
In this article, Sharon Hartles looks at the ongoing fight for justice by families affected by the hormone pregnancy test (HPT) Primodos. She discusses the impact of new evidence and advocacy efforts, highlighting the resilience of those involved in the quest for accountability. She also considers the absence of consideration of patients and family members affected by HPTs from the recent Hughes Report, which looked at redress options for the other two medical interventions covered by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review. Sharon Hartles is a member of the Harm and Evidence Research Collaborative at the Open University. Additionally, she is affiliated with the Risky Hormones research project, an international collaboration in partnership with patient groups. You can read the blog here. Related reading First Do No Harm. The report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (8 July 2020) The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh (Patient Safety Commissioner for England, 7 February 2024) Reflections on The Hughes Report: Pelvic mesh, sodium valproate, hormone pregnancy tests and options for redress (a blog from Patient Safety Learning) A Bitter Pill: Primodos, The Forgotten Thalidomide (APPG on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, 27 February 2024) Patient Safety Spotlight interview with Marie Lyon, chair of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests- Posted
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In 2021, the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review, led by Baroness Cumberlege, conducted a comprehensive review of historic documents and found that Hormone Pregnancy Tests had caused avoidable harm, that they should have been withdrawn by the regulator after the first warnings in 1967 and that this failure to act meant that women were exposed unnecessarily to a potential risk. This report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests sets out the background to this and considers the findings in 2017 of an expert working group that was relied upon by the Government and manufacturers to strike out a claim for compensation in 2023. The report recommends that the Government sets up an independent review to examine the findings of this working group.- Posted
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This cohort study in JAMA Network Open aimed to determine whether US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings to prevent prenatal exposure to valproic acid are associated with changes in pregnancy risk and contraceptive use. The study examined 165 772 valproic acid treatment episodes among 69 390 women and found that pregnancy rates during treatment remained unchanged during the 15-year study, and were more than doubled among users with mood disorder or migraine compared with epilepsy. Contraception use among users was uncommon, with only 22.3% of treatment episodes having a 1-day overlap of valproic acid and contraception use. The authors argue that these findings suggest a need to review efforts to prevent prenatal exposure to valproic acid, especially for clinical indications where risk of use during pregnancy outweighs therapeutic benefit and safer alternatives are available.- Posted
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This US cross-sectional study in JAMA Network Open aimed to find out whether there is a difference in reported inappropriate antipsychotic medication use between severely and less severely deprived neighbourhoods, and whether this difference is modified by greater total nurse staffing hours. The study included 10,966 nursing homes and found that nursing homes that fell below critical levels of staffing (less than three hours of nurse staffing per resident-day), were associated with higher inappropriate antipsychotic medication use among nursing homes in severely deprived neighbourhoods (19.2%) compared with nursing homes in less deprived neighbourhoods (17.1%). These findings suggest that addressing staffing deficiencies in nursing homes, particularly those located in severely deprived neighbourhoods, is crucial in mitigating inappropriate antipsychotic medication use.- Posted
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- Older People (over 65)
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News Article
Patients taking antidepressants are being warned to beware of side-effects that could leave them 'asexual' even after they stop using them - a problem that could affect millions of Brits. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most common class of antidepressant drug in the UK, are relied upon by one in eight Brits - 8.6million in all - who are dealing with mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Common SSRIs prescribed in the UK include citalopram, fluoxetine and sertraline, sometimes known by brand names Cipramil, Prozac and Lustral - but their use has been linked to long-term and even permanent sexual dysfunction by researchers. The NHS has warned that side effects such as a loss of libido and achieving orgasm, lower sperm count and erectile dysfunction 'can persist' after taking them - and patients have described feeling 'carved out', relationships wrecked, from their use. Men and women say SSRI side-effects have hampered their sex lives, even after coming off of the medications - a condition known as Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD), which is not officially recognised by UK health authorities. For millions, antidepressants can be a life-saving drug - but the authors of a US petition urging more warnings to be applied to the drugs say it can be 'impossible... to weigh the benefits of treatment against the harms'. Read full story Source: Daily Mail, 23 May 2024 Read this opinion piece on the hub by someone who suffers from post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) after he was prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The author calls for widespread recognition, improved risk communication and better support for sufferers. If you have experience of PSSD, you can also share your insights in our community discussion.- Posted
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Content Article
This cross-sectional study in JAMA Network Open aimed to explore whether prescribing of psychotropic medications for children and adolescents changes in the two years following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors retrieved and analysed all 8,839,143 psychotropic medication prescriptions dispensed to individuals aged from 6 to 17 years in France between 2016 and 2022. They found steady increases in prescription trends for all psychotropic medications after the pandemic onset, with prescription rates of all psychotropic medication classes except psychostimulants higher than expected rates.- Posted
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News Article
For the past 16 years, I have run a small community pharmacy in rural west Dorset. My business is older than me – the little yellow-brick building I own is about to turn 235. Right now, I am really concerned about it getting through the next 12 months. In my years as a pharmacist, I have never seen things as bad as they are at the moment. We are going through a period of rampant drug shortages in England, caused by global shortages, the NHS’s insistence on paying unsustainably low prices for medicines and Brexit, among other things, and people are on the brink. Long gone are the days when customers could place a prescription order safe in the knowledge their life-saving medication would arrive the next day. Read full story Source: Guardian, 17 May 2024- Posted
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News Article
UK pharmacists demand powers to change whooping cough prescriptions
Patient_Safety_Learning posted a news article in News
Pharmacists are calling for fresh powers to provide patients with alternative prescriptions as they warned that drugs shortages are hampering their ability to tackle whooping cough. More than 2,700 cases have been reported across England so far in 2024 – more than three times the number recorded in the whole of last year. But some pharmacies have been forced to turn away families seeking help for their children because they have run out of clarithromycin, a key antibiotic used to treat the condition. Read full story Source: Guardian, 20 May 2024- Posted
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Content Article
Medicines waste is a significant problem in the NHS, with an estimated £300m wasted annually on unused or partially used medicines. In hospitals, this waste is added to when patients do not take their medicines home or when their medicines are not transferred with them as they change wards. In this blog for The Pharmaceutical Journal, Claire Williams, deputy clinical pharmacy manager at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes how her Trust reduced its medicines waste by moving patients’ medication with them and returning unused medication to the pharmacy in a timely manner. The Trust was participating in the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare ‘Green Team’ competition, and Claire and her colleagues saw it as an opportunity to showcase the impact that pharmacy can have in supporting the green agenda. This article is free to read but you will need to sign up for a Pharmaceutical Journal account to access it.- Posted
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Content Article
FebriDx® is a single-use, analyser-free, point-of-care test with markers for bacterial and viral infection, measured on a finger-prick blood sample. As part of a larger feasibility study, this study explored the views of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients on the use of FebriDx® to safely reduce antibiotic prescriptions for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in primary care. The authors concluded that the tool was perceived as a useful in guiding antibiotic prescribing and supporting shared decision making. Initial practical problems with testing and communicating results are potential barriers to use. Training and practice on using the test and effective communication are likely to be important elements in ensuring patient understanding and satisfaction and successful adoption.- Posted
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- Infection control
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
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News Article
Prozac one of 30 antidepressants probed by UK watchdog over links to suicide
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
More than 30 of the most common antidepressants used in the UK are to be reviewed by the UK’s medicines regulator, as figures point to hundreds of deaths linked to suicide and self-harm among people prescribed these drugs. The medicines, which include Prozac and are prescribed to millions of patients, will all be looked at by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It follows concerns raised by families in Britain over the adequacy of safety measures in place to protect those taking the drugs, such as warnings about potential side effects. The regulator will look into the effectiveness of the current warnings, according to a letter from mental health minister Maria Caulfield, which has been seen by The Independent. There has been a huge rise in the use of antidepressants in England, with 85 million prescriptions issued in 2022-23, up from 58 million in 2015-16, according to NHS figures. Nigel Crisp, a crossbench peer and chair of the Beyond Pills all-party parliamentary group, told The Independent: “Overprescribing of antidepressants has an enormous cost in terms of human suffering, because so many people become dependent and then struggle to get off them – and it wastes vital NHS resources.” The review comes as it emerged that: More than 515 death alerts linked to these drugs, involving suicidal ideation and self-harm, have been made to the MHRA since the year 2000 (these alerts don’t directly confirm the cause of a person’s death) Some antidepressants have been given to children as young as four, and the total cost of the medication to the NHS in 2022-23 was more than £231m Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 May 2024- Posted
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Event
A practical guide to Human Factors in healthcare
Sam posted an event in Community Calendar
Aimed at Clinicians and Managers, this national virtual conference will provide a practical guide to human factors in healthcare, and how a human factors approach can improve patient care, quality, process, and safety. The conference delves into integrating human factors into healthcare systems and processes, clinical decision making, healthcare system design, quality of patient experience, medication safety, and workload, fatigue and stress management. Throughout the day there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups, and collaborative exercises, fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/a-practical-guide-to-human-factors-in-healthcare or email frida@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #HumanFactors- Posted
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Content Article
This report from Public Policy Projects (PPP) calls for changes in the use of approved medicines to improve diabetes care in the UK. It is the first in a series looking at specific areas of diabetes care in the UK.- Posted
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- Diabetes
- Medicine - Diabetes and Endocrinology
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News Article
Government to make medicines dispensing more efficient
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
The changes will allow pharmacists to spend more time with patients, levelling the playing field between smaller pharmacies and larger chains. The government has confirmed plans to make ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing models available to all local pharmacies. The change aims to make local pharmacies more efficient and free up time for more complex elements of dispensing and clinical care. The move is part of government’s drive to make patient access to medicines and treatment more efficient across the NHS. Patients stand to benefit thanks to an efficiency drive that will allow all local pharmacies to dispense medicines more efficiently. Currently, larger pharmacy chains can take advantage of the efficiencies and cost-savings that come with centralising the dispensing of medicines at a larger ‘hub’. But smaller independent pharmacies are unable to operate the same model due to legal restrictions on dispensing for pharmacies under different ownership, meaning they can face additional costs and workload. Under the changes announced today, the government will progress in making the ‘hub and spoke’ model universally available, allowing pharmacies belonging to different legal entities to use hubs belonging to other companies. This will level the playing field between smaller pharmacies and larger chains. The changes will enable pharmacists to dispense medicines more efficiently and spend more time dealing face to face with patients. Primary Care Minister, Andrea Leadsom said, “We’re continuing our drive to make access to medicines and care faster, simpler and fairer for all patients, including at local pharmacies. These proposals will level the playing field and enable our hard-working community pharmacies to benefit from centralised dispensing. It will also free up highly skilled pharmacists from back-office duties to deliver patient-facing services, including Pharmacy First and contraception consultations, supply medicines and provide advice.” Read full story Source: WiredGov, 13 May 2024 -
Content Article
Pharmacies in the UK dispense millions of prescription items each year. Since 2021 there have been reports of increasing supply problems affecting medicines. Recent media coverage has highlighted shortages of medicines used to treat diabetes, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy, as well as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and others. This briefing provides information on the causes and consequences of medicines shortages in the UK and internationally, and the UK Government’s approach to address supply problems.- Posted
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Psychotropic medicines are medications that act on the brain. They are used for mental health conditions but are sometimes also given to people because their behaviour is seen as challenging, such as people with learning disabilities or cognitive impairment. This standard produced by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare provides guidance to clinicians, healthcare services, patients, families and carers on the safe and appropriate use of psychotropic medicines. It contains: Eight quality statements describing safe and appropriate care. A set of indicators to support monitoring and quality improvement.- Posted
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This policy paper provides on update on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA’s) use of AI as a regulator of AI products, as a public service organisation delivering time-critical decisions and as an organisation making evidence-based decisions that impact public safety.- Posted
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News Article
Medicine shortages in England ‘beyond critical’, pharmacists warn
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Drug shortages in England are now at such critical levels that patients are at risk of immediate harm and even death, pharmacists have warned. The situation is so serious that pharmacists increasingly have to issue “owings” to patients – telling someone that only part of their prescription can be dispensed and asking them to come back for the rest of it later, once the pharmacist has sourced the remainder. Hundreds of different drugs have become hard or impossible to obtain, according to Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which published the report. Widespread and often long-lasting shortages posed “immediate risks to patient health and wellbeing” and caused distress, it said. “The medicine supply challenges being faced by community pharmacies and their patients are beyond critical,” said Janet Morrison, CPE’s chief executive. “Patients with a wide range of clinical and therapeutic needs are being affected on a daily basis and this is going far beyond inconvenience, leading to frustration, anxiety and affecting their health. CPE, which represents England’s 10,500 community pharmacies, based its findings on a survey of the views of owners of 6,100 pharmacy premises and 2,000 of their staff. It found: 79% of pharmacy staff said that medicine shortages were putting patient health at risk. 91% of pharmacy owners had seen a “significant increase” in the problem since last year. 99% of pharmacy workers found a drug was unavailable at least weekly, and 72% encountered that several times a day. Pharmacists are finding themselves on the receiving end of abuse and hostility from patients who are frustrated and angered by not being able to get the drugs they have been prescribed. Read full story Source: Guardian, 9 May 2024