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Evaluation of a hospital-based community liaison pharmacy service in Northern Ireland

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a hospital based community liaison pharmacy service on a range of outcomes in patients aged more than 55 years and taking more than 3 prescribed drugs, who had been admitted to the medical unit of a district general hospital in Northern Ireland.

Methods: Having recruited 243 patients, a total of 162 patients completed the full protocol (81 randomly assigned to intervention and 81 to control; mean age of control patients 75 years; mean age of intervention patients 73 years). The interventions by the community liaison pharmacist included: preparation of an accurate medication record following a full review of current medication use; medication counselling; provision of a medicines record sheet informing the patient how to take their drugs; provision of a pharmaceutical discharge letter detailing changes made to drug therapy (this was faxed to the patient's GP and community pharmacist on the day of discharge); provision of a Medicines Helpline.

Results: The key findings were as follows: problems were identified in 80% of the intervention patients' prescription charts, 49% of which related to drug omissions from the patients' domiciliary prescriptions. The GP practice record was the most accurate (mean error rate 12.6%) while the GP referral letter was the least accurate (mean error rate 47.3%) source of medication information. Drugs patients brought to hospital were also an inaccurate source (mean error rate 44.0%). The intervention group patients, when compared with control patients, had a significant reduction (P=0.005) in drug mismatch between drugs prescribed at discharge and taken at home, and had a greater knowledge of their drug regimen 10–14 days after discharge (P |Ld 0.001). The vast majority of patients (96%) felt that the provision of a medicine helpline was a useful service.

Conclusions: The study indicated clear benefits from the involvement of a hospital based community liaison pharmacist in achieving seamless pharmaceutical care between the primary and secondary healthcare settings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Antrim Area Hospital Academic Practice Unit, Antrim Area Hospital, 45 Bush Road, Antrim, BT41 2RL, Northern Ireland

    Helen Bolas, Kasia Brookes & Michael Scott

  2. School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland

    James McElnay

Authors
  1. Helen Bolas
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  2. Kasia Brookes
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  3. Michael Scott
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  4. James McElnay
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Bolas, H., Brookes, K., Scott, M. et al. Evaluation of a hospital-based community liaison pharmacy service in Northern Ireland. Pharm World Sci 26, 114–120 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PHAR.0000018601.11248.89

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PHAR.0000018601.11248.89

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