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| Pharmacists need better technology | Pharmacists need better technology |
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| VIEWPOINT David Pruce Policy Director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society | VIEWPOINT David Pruce Policy Director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society |
| Pharmacists are saying they are seriously over worked | Pharmacists are saying they are seriously over worked |
| Pharmacists have been shouldering an increasing number of challenges without any increase in staffing over the past decade. | Pharmacists have been shouldering an increasing number of challenges without any increase in staffing over the past decade. |
| In this week's Scrubbing Up, David Pruce, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, argues that it is time to give them some help. | In this week's Scrubbing Up, David Pruce, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, argues that it is time to give them some help. |
| Pharmacy is a secure and flexible profession. | Pharmacy is a secure and flexible profession. |
| Opinion polls consistently show that pharmacists are one of the most trusted professionals - coming second only to fire fighters in a poll for the Readers Digest. | Opinion polls consistently show that pharmacists are one of the most trusted professionals - coming second only to fire fighters in a poll for the Readers Digest. |
| So you would expect pharmacists to be a pretty contented lot. | So you would expect pharmacists to be a pretty contented lot. |
| Most prescribing is started in the community and it is here that pharmacists could play an important role in optimising therapy and avoiding adverse effects | Most prescribing is started in the community and it is here that pharmacists could play an important role in optimising therapy and avoiding adverse effects |
| Not so - many feel frustrated that their skills are under used and politicians agree. | Not so - many feel frustrated that their skills are under used and politicians agree. |
| Earl Howe, Conservative shadow health minister, said that "pharmacists represent our most under-utilised national resource in the delivery of services to NHS patients", echoing views across the political divide. | Earl Howe, Conservative shadow health minister, said that "pharmacists represent our most under-utilised national resource in the delivery of services to NHS patients", echoing views across the political divide. |
| 'Prescribing more difficult' | 'Prescribing more difficult' |
| Pharmacists are experts in medicines and have more in-depth knowledge about them than any other healthcare profession. | Pharmacists are experts in medicines and have more in-depth knowledge about them than any other healthcare profession. |
| The problem that the NHS faces is that the increased complexity of medicines and the huge potential for medicines to interact with each other makes prescribing more difficult. | The problem that the NHS faces is that the increased complexity of medicines and the huge potential for medicines to interact with each other makes prescribing more difficult. |
| Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of NICE, the NHS advisory body, drew attention to what he called "a serious problem in British medicinepoor prescribing". | Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of NICE, the NHS advisory body, drew attention to what he called "a serious problem in British medicinepoor prescribing". |
| It is estimated that 5% of all hospital admissions are the result of adverse effects of medicines. | It is estimated that 5% of all hospital admissions are the result of adverse effects of medicines. |
| Pharmacists are saying that they are seriously over worked with some working 10-hour shifts with no breaks during the shift - a situation which everyone recognises cannot be allowed to continue | Pharmacists are saying that they are seriously over worked with some working 10-hour shifts with no breaks during the shift - a situation which everyone recognises cannot be allowed to continue |
| All of this means that doctors need support from pharmacists to help them improve prescribing and patients need support to better understand and benefit from their medicines. | All of this means that doctors need support from pharmacists to help them improve prescribing and patients need support to better understand and benefit from their medicines. |
| In hospitals, pharmacists are already an integral part of the clinical team and advise on complex medicine regimes. | In hospitals, pharmacists are already an integral part of the clinical team and advise on complex medicine regimes. |
| However, most prescribing is started in the community and it is here that pharmacists could play an important role in optimising therapy and avoiding adverse effects. | However, most prescribing is started in the community and it is here that pharmacists could play an important role in optimising therapy and avoiding adverse effects. |
| 'Seriously over worked' | 'Seriously over worked' |
| Pharmacists in England and Wales offer a medicine use review service where a pharmacist will have a private consultation with a patient about their medicines. | Pharmacists in England and Wales offer a medicine use review service where a pharmacist will have a private consultation with a patient about their medicines. |
| It is valued by patients who have received it; pharmacists find it professionally satisfying and it improves patient's treatment. | It is valued by patients who have received it; pharmacists find it professionally satisfying and it improves patient's treatment. |
| A number of pharmacies also offer screening services such as cholesterol monitoring, help to stop smoking and flu vaccination. | A number of pharmacies also offer screening services such as cholesterol monitoring, help to stop smoking and flu vaccination. |
| Like most NHS IT projects the electronic prescription service is depressingly slow to deliver | Like most NHS IT projects the electronic prescription service is depressingly slow to deliver |
| The problem is that pharmacists are trying to do all of this on top of rising dispensing volumes. | The problem is that pharmacists are trying to do all of this on top of rising dispensing volumes. |
| The number of prescriptions has increased by two-thirds in the past 10 years with little or no change in staffing numbers over the same period. | The number of prescriptions has increased by two-thirds in the past 10 years with little or no change in staffing numbers over the same period. |
| Pharmacists are saying that they are seriously over worked with some working 10-hour shifts with no breaks during the shift - a situation which everyone recognises cannot be allowed to continue. | Pharmacists are saying that they are seriously over worked with some working 10-hour shifts with no breaks during the shift - a situation which everyone recognises cannot be allowed to continue. |
| Automation plea | Automation plea |
| Pharmacists need to free up time from dispensing while maintaining accuracy. | Pharmacists need to free up time from dispensing while maintaining accuracy. |
| Pharmacists are rightly paranoid about accuracy because the consequences of an error could be serious. | Pharmacists are rightly paranoid about accuracy because the consequences of an error could be serious. |
| Gone are the days when pharmacists disappeared to the back of the dispensary to concoct a foul tasting mixture. | Gone are the days when pharmacists disappeared to the back of the dispensary to concoct a foul tasting mixture. |
| The majority of dispensing involves picking the right pack of medicines off the shelf and putting the right instructions on it. | The majority of dispensing involves picking the right pack of medicines off the shelf and putting the right instructions on it. |
| It is a very manual task crying out for some form of automation. | It is a very manual task crying out for some form of automation. |
| It involves manually entering information from a prescription into the pharmacy computer in order to generate a label for the medicine. | It involves manually entering information from a prescription into the pharmacy computer in order to generate a label for the medicine. |
| All of these solutions are not rocket science - they just need a will between all the stakeholders to make them happen (government, the pharmaceutical industry and the profession) | All of these solutions are not rocket science - they just need a will between all the stakeholders to make them happen (government, the pharmaceutical industry and the profession) |
| An electronic prescription could be automatically transferred from the GP directly into the pharmacist's computer like e-mail and could be used to automatically generate a label. | An electronic prescription could be automatically transferred from the GP directly into the pharmacist's computer like e-mail and could be used to automatically generate a label. |
| Like most NHS IT projects the electronic prescription service is depressingly slow to deliver. | Like most NHS IT projects the electronic prescription service is depressingly slow to deliver. |
| Even simple technology cannot be used in dispensing. | Even simple technology cannot be used in dispensing. |
| Supermarkets revolutionised check out throughput and accuracy with the use of bar code scanners. | Supermarkets revolutionised check out throughput and accuracy with the use of bar code scanners. |
| But pharmacists cannot use them in dispensing because there is no industry standard bar code system in use across all manufacturers! | But pharmacists cannot use them in dispensing because there is no industry standard bar code system in use across all manufacturers! |
| Dividing tablet packs | Dividing tablet packs |
| And finally, between a quarter and a third of all prescriptions require the cutting up of strips of tablets because the quantity on the prescription does not match the pack size. | And finally, between a quarter and a third of all prescriptions require the cutting up of strips of tablets because the quantity on the prescription does not match the pack size. |
| If the prescription says 30 tablets and the pack contains 28 tablets, the pharmacist has to open up another pack and cut two tablets from it. | If the prescription says 30 tablets and the pack contains 28 tablets, the pharmacist has to open up another pack and cut two tablets from it. |
| How much easier if the pharmacist could round up or round down the quantity to the nearest pack size. | How much easier if the pharmacist could round up or round down the quantity to the nearest pack size. |
| Patients do not like cut up strips of tablets and for patients on long term medication, it would make no difference because it would even up over the year. | Patients do not like cut up strips of tablets and for patients on long term medication, it would make no difference because it would even up over the year. |
| All of these solutions are not rocket science - they just need a will between all the stakeholders to make them happen (government, the pharmaceutical industry and the profession). | All of these solutions are not rocket science - they just need a will between all the stakeholders to make them happen (government, the pharmaceutical industry and the profession). |
| If this happens, pharmacists will be freed up to use their expert knowledge to further benefit patients. | If this happens, pharmacists will be freed up to use their expert knowledge to further benefit patients. |
| Will change happen - let's hope so for everyone's sake. | Will change happen - let's hope so for everyone's sake. |
| Do you think your pharmacist is doing a good job or are the new services they have to provide crowding out the usual service you get? name="say"> | |
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