NEWS
NPA LAUNCHES NEW DRUG TARIFF IN SCOTLAND
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has launched a new Drug Tariff guide for members in Scotland. The resources can be used to help ensure that prescriptions are endorsed and submitted correctly, thereby optimising income, says the NPA.
The guide is part of the NPA Essential pharmacy business pack, which includes a range of resources aimed at equipping members with practical tools to examine their pharmacy business and protect potential fi nancial loss, as well as developing new sources of income. The NPA Essential pharmacy business pack is available for members to download from the NPA website.
For further information, or if you have any other query, contact the NPA Pharmacy Services team on 01727 891 800 or email
pharmacyservices@npa.co.uk
EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE RELATED TO INCREASED ALLERGY RISK Research presented recently at this year’s European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in London, has shown that exposure to antibiotics early in life is related to increased risk of developing allergies later in life.
A total of 22 studies (including 394,517 patients) were selected to study the risk of eczema and 22 studies (including 256,609 patients) to study the risk of hay fever, with some of these being the same (twelve studies including 64,638 patients) studies for both conditions. The increased risk of eczema due to early life use of antibiotics varied from fi fteen per cent to 41 per cent depending on the type of study analysed. Use of antibiotics in early life also increased the risk of hay fever in later life by fourteen per cent to 56 per cent, again dependent on the type of study analysed.
Furthermore, the association was stronger if patients had been treated with two courses compared with one course of antibiotics both for eczema and for hay fever.
6 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
NEW APP EMPLOYED TO TACKLE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
A ground-breaking new app to help healthcare staff tackle antibiotic resistance has been launched in Scotland.
Known as the Antimicrobial Companion, the app, which will be rolled out nationwide, is a fi rst for Scotland, and will give practitioners quick and easy access to clinical guidance and will support decision making on antibiotic prescribing, including:
• Dosage calculators for key antibiotic medicines (registered as medical devices with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as they provide a specifi c dose for individual patients).
• Antibiotic prescribing guidance for primary care and hospitals which can be customised by each health board.
• A decision aid to support management of urinary tract infections in older people.
• An audit tool to support Boards in gathering data for local and Scottish Government targets.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria which cause illnesses like pneumonia, urinary tract infections and meningitis change so that they can no longer be effectively treated by antibiotics and is a growing threat to effective patient care. The World Health Organisation has warned of a potential post-antibiotic
era in which common infections and minor injuries can kill.
While Scotland has already made signifi cant progress in improving antibiotic use and reducing unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics, the Scottish Government funded app, developed by the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) within Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES), will give clinicians another tool to ensure that antibiotics are used safely and effectively.
‘Antibiotic use is characterised by waste and variation in practice, leading to harm,’ said Professor Dilip Nathwani OBE, Chair of the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group. ‘One of the key factors infl uencing better prescribing of antibiotics is the availability of easily accessible practical guidance in the workplace. This app makes it easier for our busy healthcare professionals to do the right and safe thing. Moreover, the availability within the app to evaluate this decision process through an audit component
is unique and will further drive better practice. We look forward to hearing of its value and impact from users.’
The app, which has been developed by Glasgow-based company, Tactuum, with input from clinicians from hospital and primary care practice in several health boards, was also welcomed by Dr Rose Marie Parr, Chief Pharmaceutical Offi cer for Scotland.
‘I welcome the development of this app,’ said Dr Parr. ‘The training materials it provides on antimicrobial stewardship for both undergraduate and postgraduate professionals will offer contemporary and ongoing support for the delivery of education on antimicrobial stewardship across all health and care settings. This is incredibly important as taking care of antibiotics to ensure we use them correctly so that they remain active for future generations is vital.’
The app can be accessed from any mobile device and is available to download free from both iTunes and Google Play app stores.
TURN TO PAGE 26 FOR OUR SPECIAL FEATURE ON THE FINDINGS OF THE LATEST ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE REPORT.
Mobile Decision Support App for Antimicrobial Prescribing
This mobile app will be available from iTunes and Google Play app stores from 1 August 2016.
What does it do? It provides all healthcare staff across Scotland with free access to:
• Gentamicin and vancomycin dosage calculators
• A decision aid for managing urinary tract infections in older people
• •
Primary Care Guidance on antimicrobial prescribing
Secondary Care Guidance on antimicrobial prescribing – Some Boards have already added their guidance; others will incorporate theirs over time.
•
An audit tool to support collation of data for antimicrobial quality indicators.
Why is this important?
Improving antibiotic prescribing is a top NHS priority, with the potential to reduce waste, variation and harm in caring for patients, and to improve population health by minimising the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This mobile decision support app is an important new tool which clinicians can use to help make antimicrobial prescribing equally safe and effective across hospital, primary care and community settings.
Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group
A unique feature is that this app enables clinicians to download just those elements specific to their Boards.
How can I be confident in the quality of this app?
This app has been developed by the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group, part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland with support from the Scottish Government Chief Pharmacist’s Office. The app is registered as a medical device with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and has CE marking to indicate that it meets their quality requirements.
MHRA ISSUES HYPOKIT RECALL
Community pharmacists should be aware that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a patient level drug recall of certain batches of GlucaGen® HypoKits, which are used for the emergency treatment of severe low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia) in patients with diabetes.
Diabetic patients should be asked to check whether they have certain batches of these kits after an investigation by the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, found a small percentage (0.006%) of needles have detached from the syringe in the GlucaGen® HypoKit which makes them unusable.
A delay in treatment could have
severe health consequences in an emergency situation and, therefore, any affected batches should not be used.
Those patients who do have a GlucaGen HypoKit from an affected batch should be asked to return them to the pharmacy for a replacement.
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