Pharmacist independent prescriber resources

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Pharmacist independent prescriber resources

Pharmacist independent prescriber resources

The resources listed below are not exhaustive but may be of use during consultations or for continuing professional development. Some of the resources require a subscription for access but we have tried to direct prescribers to resources which are peer reviewed and free to access. Initially the resources focus on a small number of areas but the pages will be reviewed to include new resources as they become available.

Each Health Board in Wales has a list of medicines approved for use in primary and secondary care within the health board.

The British National Formulary (BNF) and British national Formulary for Children (BNFc) list key information on the selection, prescribing, dispensing and administration of medicines. As well as these links, BNF and BNFC apps for smartphones and tablets are freely available to anyone providing services to NHS patients.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) produce evidence-based recommendations for the health and social care sector, developed by independent committees, including professionals and lay members, and consulted on by stakeholders.

BMJ Best practice provides step-by-step guidance on the diagnosis, treatment and management of medical conditions and can be accessed using your NHS email account.

The electronic medicines compendium (EMC) provides up to date, approved and regulated prescribing and patient information for licensed medicines.

The All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC) is an NHS organisation and delivers a range of services. These services support the best use of medicines to help patients in Wales be healthier and better-informed.

The Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) are a team of pharmacy professionals and support staff, commissioned by NHS England, to provide impartial advice for pharmacists and other professionals using medicines.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develop evidence-based guidelines for Scotland, using a network of clinicians, other health and social care professionals, patient organisations and individuals.

GPnotebook is a clinical reference tool focused on the needs of the general practitioner but may be useful for other prescribers in primary care. Access to the “pro” version of the website does require a subscription.

Lab Tests Online-UK is a resource written by practising laboratory doctors and scientists to help you understand the many clinical laboratory tests that are used in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease.

The Specialist Pharmacy Service has developed a medicines monitoring page using publications and expert opinion. It is designed to save clinician time, but not replace professional responsibility. When using this page you should: ensure an individualised monitoring plan is developed in partnership with the patient and take account of any locally agreed advice and guidance.

There are several websites and smartphone apps which may be useful to those training as independent prescribers or for those wanting to expand scope of prescribing practice to a different area (may require registration or subscription).

  • The Swallowing difficulties – Specialist Pharmacy Service includes information and advice on using medicines safely and effectively in patients with swallowing difficulties
  • The NEWT Guidelines contain advice on the administration of medication to patients with swallowing problems but it is important to note that this is usually outside the product licence. Access to the site may require a subscription (or may require access via an NHS Wales account)
  • KidMedz Cymru is designed to teach children and young people over the age of five how to safely swallow tablets and capsules.
  • Medicines for children includes a section providing videos and information about how to give different formulations of medicines to your child.

Healthcare associated infections are becoming an increasing problem in healthcare, particularly with the development of antibiotic resistance. Sepsis is a rare life-threatening condition that can develop rapidly from what might be otherwise innocuous infections.

NICE Resources:

  • NICE guidance NG51: Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management covers the recognition, diagnosis, and early management of sepsis for all populations.
  • NICE guideline NG143: Fever in under 5s: assessment and initial management covers the assessment and early management of fever with no obvious cause in children aged under 5
  • NG143 Traffic light tool

Other resources:

  • National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2 is the latest version of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), first produced in 2012 and updated in December 2017, which advocates a system to standardise the assessment and response to acute illness.
  • Royal College of General Practitioners Sepsis Toolkit provides a collection of tools, knowledge, and current guidance to support the identifying and appropriate management of patients with sepsis.
  • Sepsis Trust has produced operational clinical tools for all ages (except specifically for neonates) across a wide range of healthcare settings. They have been formally endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Coming soon

Hypertension

NICE Resources:

  • NICE Guideline NG136: Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management cover the identification and treatment of primary hypertension (high blood pressure) in people aged 18 and over, including people with type 2 diabetes.
  • Includes a 2-page visual summary on the recommendations: NICE guideline hypertension visual summary

Other resources:

Resources for patients and carers:

Lipid Management

  • NICE Clinical Guideline CG67: Lipid modification: Cardiovascular risk assessment and the modification of blood lipids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease
  • BMJ learning module ‘Lipid management: primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease’ provides a guide to managing patients' lipids, including the benefits and side effects of statins and other lipid lowering drugs (may require a subscription).
  • BMJ Best Practice Hypercholesterolaemia

Atrial Fibrillation

AWTTC Resources:

NICE Resources:

Other resources:

HEIW Resources for Community Pharmacist Independent Prescribers

Coming soon! HEIW are developing a host of resources to support Pharmacists accredited to provide the Pharmacy independent Prescribing Service from Community Pharmacy to maintain prescribing competence in or expand scope of prescribing practice into managing those presenting with symptoms f an acute respiratory condition.

General resources:

Asthma

AWTTC resources:

Other resources:

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary isease (COPD)

AWTTC Resources:

Other Resources:

HEIW Resources:

AWTTC Resource:

Other Resources:

  • NICE Guideline NG193: Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain
  • It includes a visual Summary setting out how to use NG193: NG193 Visual summary
  • Resources for healthcare professionals and patients can be found at: Home - Live Well with Pain
  • Flippin’ pain is a public health campaign containing resources co-created by people with persistent pain, healthcare professionals, pain scientists and communications experts.

HEIW Resources for Community Pharmacist Independent Prescribers

Coming soon! HEIW are developing a host of resources to support Pharmacists accredited to provide the Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Service (PIPS) from Community Pharmacy to maintain prescribing competence in or expand scope of prescribing practice into managing those presenting with symptoms of an acute infection.

General resources on Infection

AWTTC resources:

HEIW Resources:

Ear Infection

Useful clips covering ear examination include:

NICE Resources:

Patient and carer resources:

Respiratory Tract Infection

NICE Resources:

Other Resources:

Patient and carer resources:

Skin infection

NICE Resources:

Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI):

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI):

Recurrent UTI:

Pyelonephritis:

Patient and Carer Resources:

Coming soon

Contraception

HEIW Resources for Community Pharmacist Independent Prescribers

Coming Soon! HEIW are developing a host of resources to support Pharmacists accredited to provide the Pharmacy independent Prescribing Service from Community Pharmacy to maintain prescribing competence in or expand scope of prescribing practice into managing those requiring contraception services.

Other resources:

Patient and carer resources:

Menopause

Patient and carer resources:

Coming soon

Coming soon

General resources

Acne

Patient and carer resources:

Rosacea

Dermatitis and Eczema

Psoriasis

Patient and carer resources

Patient and Parent/ Carer Information:

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