Medication review

Anticholinergic medicines associated with increased risk of dementia, UK study finds

Using strong anticholinergic medication every day for three years or more is associated with a nearly 50% increased risk of dementia in those aged 55 years and over, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found.…

Practice-based pharmacist scheme doubles return on investment

A practice-based pharmacist scheme in West Hampshire has saved the local NHS £2 on the cost of medicines for every £1 that was invested in the programme.…

NHS 10-year plan: pharmacists to expand role under £4.5bn scheme to establish “primary care networks”

Networks of GP surgeries could receive financial incentives generated by employed pharmacists under a new long-term plan for the NHS.…

Deprescribing: the fightback against polypharmacy has begun

Polypharmacy among older people is at an all-time high, prompting a necessary focus on withdrawing inappropriate medicines. However, evidence-based guidelines are needed to overcome barriers to deprescribing.…

GP-based audit intervention helps cut high-risk prescribing

Results from a pharmacist-delivered audit pilot show that it reduced levels of high-risk prescribing in general practice, study results have shown.…

Testing annual asthma reviews for those who fail to attend: proof-of-concept study

Asthma is one of the most common respiratory conditions in the UK. Around 30% of asthma patients fail to attend their annual asthma review, which leads to an increase in the number of preventable asthma-related hospital admissions. By using SIMPLE methodology and the PharmOutcomes® web-ba…

Patient-centred interventions for multimorbidity do not improve quality of life, study shows

Patient-centred interventions to improve care of people with multiple chronic conditions do not improve quality of life or clinical outcomes, according to the findings of a UK study published in The Lancet.…

Understanding cognitive barriers to safer prescribing for frail patients

Deciding to stop medicines that have been prescribed in line with clinical guidelines could be seen as counter-cultural. It goes against the grain for clinicians, and often patients, too. This Safer Prescribing for Frailty project used an understanding of the cognitive barriers to stopping medi…

Pharmacy First service rolled out across health boards in Scotland

A service allowing patients to receive prescriptions direct from a pharmacist without consulting a GP is being rolled out across Scotland in time for the 2017–2018 winter period.…

Becoming a pharmacist in a GP practice: running clinics

Regina Ahmed has decided to try a career in the primary care sector. In the sixth of a series of blog posts, she describes the typical duties she performs when running a medication review clinics.…