RPS: Nice has recognised sector's medicines optimisation role
Nice's first guidance on medicines optimisation reflects that pharmacists are "taking the lead" in this area, says Royal Pharmaceutical Society practice and policy lead Heidi Wright
Fresh Nice guidance on medicines optimisation has recognised pharmacists' role beyond supply, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said.
The recommendation body’s first guidance on medicines optimisation, published last week (March 4), reflected the fact that the profession was “taking the lead” on this issue, said RPS practice and policy lead for England Heidi Wright.
The Nice guidance make numerous references to pharmacists and calls for “dedicated pharmacist support” to reduce medicines-related patient safety incidents. Ms Wright said it made sense that pharmacists were "all over" the guidance, as they were the ones delivering medicines optimisation.
The key message from the Nice recommendations was to “really involve the patient”, Ms Wright told C+D. “It’s all about putting the patient at the centre – supporting them to take their medicines and realising that in some cases they may not want to,” she stressed.
In its guidance, Nice recommended that community pharmacies played a more important part in hospital discharges. They should receive a discharged patient's information when appropriate and conduct a process of "medicines reconciliation" - where their current medicines were compared to a list made before they entered hospital - to check for any discrepancies, it said.
Nice also recommended that healthcare professionals considered using an “individualised self-management plan" to support patients with chronic or long-term conditions, as well as explaining to patients and family members how to identify and report medicines-related safety incidents.
The RPS said Nice's guidance reflected the society's principles of medicines optimisation, which emphasise that decisions about treatment "must be shared between patients and healthcare professionals”.
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