Services Database Supporting Patients with Diabetes Using Injectable Therapies

The West Midlands Pharmacy Local Professional Network working with the Academic Health Sciences Network and Coventry & Rugby CCG & Coventry Local Pharmaceutical Committee held an implementation event to shape the design and implementation of this Medicines Optimisation project which launched in a selection of pharmacies and practices in early January 2017. The project is conducted under a joint working agreement with Eli Lilly &Co and Novo Nordisk and supported by Diabetes UK.

This project will use pharmacy intervention with NMS and MUR to improve knowledge and confidence in the correct injection technique for diabetes patients using injectable therapies leading to improved patient outcomes, reduced waste and greater cooperation between community pharmacy and general practice.  Pharmacists will:

• attend training on the recommended practice for injecting techniques;
• complete Medicines Use Reviews (MURs) or the New Medicine Service (NMS) as part of the Advanced Services on patients using injectable therapies;
• collect and submit data in the form of patient questionnaire and pharmacist evaluation forms; and
• suitable patients may be identified in the pharmacy or be referred from the GP practice.

Patients with diabetes using injectable therapies may be referred to the pharmacy by the participating GP practices or invited for an MUR or NMS when they present a prescription for dispensing at one of the participating pharmacies.

The pharmacist will ask the patient questions 1-5 from the patient questionnaire and enter the responses onto PharmOutcomes. The pharmacist will then proceed to carry out the MUR using their knowledge gained at the January 2017 training event and supported by various documents including the Quality Marker ‘5 star MUR document’.  As part of the MUR conversation the pharmacist will discuss injection technique with the patient

Please note: this is not a new service – simply a local agreement to provide pharmacists with additional training to increase their capability and confidence to provide advice to patients using injectable therapies.  The success of this project will be determined by reviewing feedback received from patient questionnaires and pharmacist evaluation forms.

TIMELINE

• 11th January 2017 - Training event
• 12^th January 2017 - Soft launch
• 1^st April 2017 - Main pilot period
• 30^th June 2017 - End of pilot period
• July 2017 - Evaluation of pilot

Not known.