Improving the quality of care in the last days of life: medication

"This document identifies best practice in the way medications should be managed in the last days of life. It sets out practical, high level, evidence-based recommendations to help guide those responsible for care to review their processes and consider ways to make change where necessary."

Improving the quality of care in the last days of life: A practical guide to getting the medications right
London Clinical Networks
April 2016

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Compliance of monitoring side effects of medication in the treatment of ADHD

"The audit was carried out to determine compliance of monitoring side effects of medication in the treatment of ADHD/ADD in children and young people as recommended by NICE Clinical Guideline 72. The audit was deemed necessary to provide a basis on which to carry out future audits and to improve the service."

To determine compliance of monitoring side effects of medication in the treatment of ADHD in children and young people as recommended by NICE CG72
NICE Shared Learning example
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
March 2015

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Stopping perioperative antibiotics for post-tonsillectomy morbidity

"Considering the implications for development of antibiotic resistance with increased antibiotic use and the lack of clinical benefits demonstrated by this review, routine perioperative antibiotic prescription for tonsillectomy is not recommended."

Stopping perioperative antibiotics for post-tonsillectomy morbidity: QIPP Case Study
Quality and productivity collection examples
The UK Cochrane Centre and NICE
March 2015

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Advice from NICE on Medicines Optimisation of Key Therapies

NICE have released a number of evidence-based Key Therapeutic Topics to support medicines optimisation. Access them below:

• Antibiotic prescribing – especially broad spectrum antibiotics (KTT9)
• First-choice antidepressant use in adults with depression or generalised anxiety disorder (KTT8) 
• Low-dose antipsychotics in people with dementia (KTT7)
• Hypnotics (KTT6)
• High-dose inhaled corticosteroids in asthma (KTT5)
• Omega-3 fatty acid supplements (KTT4)
• Lipid-modifying drugs (KTT3)
• Renin-angiotensin system drugs (KTT2)
• Wound care products (KTT14)
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (KTT13)
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus (KTT12)
• Minocycline (KTT11)
• Three-day courses of antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infection
• Laxatives (KTT1)

Quality Standard: Headaches in young people and adults

"NICE quality standards describe high-priority areas for quality improvement in a defined care or service area. This quality standard covers the diagnosis and management of the most common primary headache disorders (tension-type headache, migraine and cluster headache) and medication overuse headache in adults and young people aged 12 years and older."

QS 42: Headaches in young people and adults
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
August 2013

Access the quality standard here.

Paying for "end-of-life" drugs in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom

"This issue brief compares U.K., Australian, and German policies on coverage of end-of-life medicines, particularly those that are not curative and offer modest increments in median survival rates."

Paying for "end-of-life" drugs in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom: balancing policy, pragmatism, and societal values
Issues in International Health Policy
The Commonwealth Fund
January 2012

Read more here.