Medication review

Invitations, leaflets and animations could improve engagement with structured medication reviews

Half of primary care network teams surveyed by the Health Information Network said that patient-facing resources helped patients prepare for structured medication reviews.…

How we reduced polypharmacy by 1.6 medicines per patient in a care home

A pharmacist-led study revealed statistical significance in the reduction of medicines and anticholinergic burden, following structured medication reviews in care home patients.…

Community pharmacies should be contracted to deliver medication reviews, report concludes

Public Policy Projects has said that community pharmacies are well placed to conduct medication reviews to lessen pressures on the NHS and offer patients more convenient access to care through close relationships with local communities.…

High deprivation areas given funding to boost structured medication reviews, says HIN

The Health Innovation Network said that 25 primary care networks would be funded to provide supportive materials that had been shown to improve SMR outcomes.…

Patient safety improvement and medicines waste targeted by repeat prescribing toolkit

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society says the new resource is the first national good practice guidance on repeat prescribing published in 20 years.…

Triptans should be considered as preferred first-line treatment for acute migraine, research concludes

From head-to-head comparisons between active interventions, the meta-analysis showed that eletriptan was the most effective drug for pain freedom at two hours post dose.…

Lipid-lowering therapies for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in primary care

An overview of updated guidance relating to the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease can be applied in practice, considering the availability of newer medications.…

Test your knowledge of diabetes

This CPD and learning quiz can help you assess your knowledge of a range of diabetes topics, from insulin initiation to complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis.…

Less is more: the struggle to prioritise structured medication reviews

With primary care networks no longer incentivised to carry out structured medication reviews, work is under way to make sure they remain a priority as pharmacists aim to minimise inappropriate polypharmacy.…

Pharmacists in primary care should be ‘enabled to prioritise’ structured medication reviews, says RPS

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society policy statement says primary care networks must recognise that they are accountable for delivering structured medication reviews.…