Title: Medi-Dose/EPS partners with Emily Jerry Foundation for pediatric safety initiative
Source: DVM Newsmagazine. 44.4 (Apr. 2013): p74. From Expanded Academic ASAP.
Document Type: Brief article
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2013 Advanstar Communications, Inc.
Full Text:
Because of their small size, pediatric patients are particularly vulnerable to medication errors. An error that might have minimal effect to an adult could be catastrophic to a child. To help promote awareness of this issue, Medi-Dose/EPS is working with the Emily Jerry Foundation to incorporate the foundation's Blue Angel warning logo into the MILT 3.0 software. For more information, call (800) 523-8966.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"Medi-Dose/EPS partners with Emily Jerry Foundation for pediatric safety initiative." DVM Newsmagazine Apr. 2013: 74. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 25 July 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA330678561&v=2.1&u=phuphs&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A330678561
Title: Dispensing error action 'taking too long'
Source: Chemist & Druggist. (Feb. 9, 2013): p7. From Expanded Academic ASAP.
Document Type: Article
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2013 UBM Information Ltd.
http://www.ubminformation.com/home
Full Text:
Government group charged with decriminalisation warns it could take another three years
James Waldron
The government's creation of a group charged with tackling the decriminalisation of dispensing errors is a positive step but the timescale is too slow, pharmacists said this week, after England's chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge admitted it could take another three years to find and implement a solution.
C+D readers slammed the slow progress and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) called for the issue to be dealt with "immediately", after Dr Ridge told MPs he expected the group's work to take two to three years.
But last week's announcement of the programme board, which will examine the scope of medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation and how the two work together, was a "positive step", said PSNC.
Dr Ridge told a meeting of the of the all-party pharmacy group (APPG) on January 28 that he was looking for an "opportunity" to solve the dispensing error issue earlier than the rest of the board's work, but it needed to "fit into an overall process".
But two to three years was just too long, APPG co-vice chair Baroness Cumberlege told the meeting. And chair Kevin Barron MP urged those with "responsibility for ushering in change" to move forward with "a real sense of urgency".
It was "too long a wait" locum pharmacist Dorothy Drury posted on C+D's website. "It just goes to show how much the government holds pharmacy in regard. I have no doubt that if this injustice were being suffered by doctors or politicians it would have been corrected long ago," community pharmacist Yassan Dickie added.
"Pharmacists have been promised action in this area and the benefits to both patient safety and the profession means the government should act now," RPS spokesperson Neal Patel said.
The Department of Health (DH) outlined plans for the programme board to stakeholders, including pharmacy organisations and companies, last Tuesday (January 29), in a meeting closed to the press. The DH told C+D this week that the board was at its very early stages and there was "no progress to report".
"We hope the group will make the decriminalisation of dispensing errors a priority and find a solution quickly," PSNC head of regulation Steve Lutener said. And Pharmacy Voice said it would work closely with other pharmacy bodies to "present a consistent case to government" throughout the review.
Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"Dispensing error action 'taking too long'." Chemist & Druggist 9 Feb. 2013: 7. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 25 July 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA318259721&v=2.1&u=phuphs&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A318259721
Title: C+D AWARDS INSIGHT: Taking care
Source: Chemist & Druggist. (Jan. 12, 2013): p18. From Expanded Academic ASAP.
Document Type: Article
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2013 UBM Information Ltd.
http://www.ubminformation.com/home
Full Text:
Care home residents have large unmet health needs - and pharmacies can play a key role in addressing these concerns
Chris Chapman
There's a medicines problem in UK care homes. In January 2010, government research revealed that, on any one day, 70 per cent of residents experience a medication error. The problem was exacerbated by the high levels of polypharmacy - on average, a care home resident takes eight medicines. The findings prompted England's chief pharmacist Keith Ridge to warn of "considerable scope for improvement" in the care of the almost half a million care home residents. Something had to be done.
Yet three years on the problem has not abated. In December the Improving the use of medicines for better outcomes and reduced waste report from the Department of Health (DH) devoted a chapter to care homes. It highlighted problems caused by poor use of monitored dosage systems (MDS), lack of a multidisciplinary approach, and the need for guidance on 'prn' medicines. It was also clear pharmacy had a major role, describing the team as a "key contact" in improving care.
"You can sit in your pharmacy or get out there," explains the Co- operative Pharmacy's head of business development Mandeep Mudhar, whose company has trained 800 staff members to support care homes. "Irrespective of if a patient is at home, in a care home or the pharmacy, they should get the same level of care, prescription delivery and advice."
And evidence shows pharmacists can make a difference. According the December DH report, part of an NHS Leeds medicines management project saw two pharmacists visit care homes to provide reviews for patients with dementia or learning disabilities. In six months, the duo saw 436 patients and made 1,509 recommendations, of which 1,209 were acted on - saving #54,000. in medicines care. Yet, as Mr Mudhar explains, interventions aren't always that simple. "The main challenge in a care home setting is that you're dealing with an intermediary," he says. "As a pharmacist doesn't have direct access, it's critical [the staff] are given as much support as possible... it's fundamental we have a relationship."
It's this kind of relationship that saw Whitworth Chemists' Joanne Porter claim C+D's Pharmacy Technician of the Year Award 2012, as she used her former experience as a care manager to build bridges between homes and the pharmacy. The secret when approaching care home staff, she says, is to keep an open mind about the service you are offering.
"We say 'how can we help you?' rather than the other way round," she explains. "We're providing a service... we don't just offer one type of MDS, we go in with an open mind." Another key aspect is to ensure pharmacists are trained not only in elderly care, but in specific problems that can occur in care homes. "The pharmacists go and provide training on dementia, falls, COPD... we've got five packages so we offer a lot of training," Ms Porter says.
Yet while specialist skills are invaluable in the care home setting, it's important to remember basic services can make an impact as well. "There is no reason a patient in care home can't have an MUR, NMS or an enhanced service," says Mr Mudhar. "The difference is that we have to send staff [to the home]... and that's a decision we choose to make."
The winner
Joanne Porter, Whitworth Chemists, Stockton
* Award entry Worked with care homes and local authorities to provide a joined-up approach to patient care
* What the judges said "Joanne's care home experience has proved a valuable asset in rolling out a very successful assisted living service across the Whitworth group."
* What her manager said "Joanne's mission to gain, train and retain patients and stakeholders in assisted living conditions led to massive growth in business."
* Favourite cartoon? "SpongeBob. He's just silly. How on earth can a sponge talk under the sea?"
* Best thing on TV? "An Idiot Abroad. I love that Karl Pilkington, he's so funny."
Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"C+D AWARDS INSIGHT: Taking care." Chemist & Druggist 12 Jan. 2013: 18. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 25 July 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA314501029&v=2.1&u=phuphs&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A314501029
Title: Patients to be priority in dispensing error battle
Source: Chemist & Druggist. (Aug. 4, 2012): p8. From Expanded Academic ASAP.
Document Type: Brief article
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 UBM Information Ltd.
http://www.ubminformation.com/home
Full Text:
Public opinion will determine whether the government ultimately decides to decriminalise dispensing errors, a legal expert has warned.
Patient reaction would be more likely to sway the government's decision than pharmacists' views or lobbying, said David Reissner, head of healthcare at law firm Charles Russell. And he stressed that the government would be unlikely to do anything that made patients feel less safe.
The comments came after the MHRA released an update to the Medicines Act, which failed to include any news on the decriminalisation of dispensing errors. In January, the medicines watchdog said it was committed to introducing a "due diligence" defence that would help protect pharmacists from automatic criminalisation, following ongoing lobbying from the sector.
Mr Reissner said it was important to keep a "degree of pressure" on the issue and welcomed a recent all-party pharmacy group pledge to lobby for decriminalisation. But he warned the move would need support from parties outside pharmacy to be approved by the government.
"There was a time when the government was making very sympathetic noises [about decriminalisation], but I think they're worried it might take away a sanction they need and they're not quite sure what's out there," he said. "Before doing anything, I think the government will want to consult patient groups - they don't want to do anything that may be perceived as taking away protection from the public," Mr Reissner said. "Nothing will be done with the objective of making life easier for pharmacists - it will be with the objective of maximising public protection." The Independent Pharmacy Federation (IPF) repeated calls for the government to recognise how the threat of prosecution could affect patient care.
"Criminalisation of [errors] continues to be a barrier to developing the profession - while pharmacists are too worried to report mistakes, they will not learn from them," argued IPF chief executive Claire Ward. "This issue has dragged on for too long and it's time to sort it out," she added.
Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"Patients to be priority in dispensing error battle." Chemist & Druggist 4 Aug. 2012: 8. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 25 July 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA299003449&v=2.1&u=phuphs&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A299003449
Title: Drug error leads to nipple necrosis
Source: OBG Management. 24.2 (Feb. 2012): p57. From Expanded Academic ASAP.
Document Type: Brief article
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 Quadrant Healthcom, Inc.
Full Text:
AT RIGHT BREAST EXCISIONAL BIOPSY, a woman was given four localized injections in the same tissue space: methylene blue dye; bupivacaine, 0.25 mg with epinephrine; sodium phosphate, 2 cc; and sodium bicarbonate, 2 cc. After surgery, the patient's right nipple began to turn black and became necrotic. A wound specialist advised her to have the nipple removed and the area debrided. She received wound treatment for several months.
* PATIENT'S CLAIM Medical center staff was negligent, including OR nurses and physician who injected the sodium phosphate.
* DEFENDANTS' DEFENSE The physician who administered the sodium phosphate testified that she injected less than 1 cc before realizing the mistake. An OR nurse contacted the pharmacy; the pharmacist did not believe that there would be any damage. After surgery, the defendants admitted their error to the woman.
* VERDICT Suits against the physician who injected the sodium phosphate and OR nurses were dismissed prior to trial. A $23,363 Idaho verdict was returned against the medical center.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"Drug error leads to nipple necrosis." OBG Management Feb. 2012: 57. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 25 July 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA279612600&v=2.1&u=phuphs&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A279612600