How to improve prescription of inhaled salbutamol by providing standardised feedback on administration

"The effectiveness of inhaled salbutamol in routine care depends particularly on prescribed dosage and applied inhalation technique. To achieve maximum effectiveness and to prevent drug-related problems, prescription and administration need to work in concert."

How to improve prescription of inhaled salbutamol by providing standardised feedback on administration: a controlled intervention pilot study with follow-up
MP Neininger et al.
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:40  doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0702-x

Read more here.

Improving the accuracy and turn-around time of controlled drug prescribing for patients being discharged home for end-of-life care

"Re-audit after a pilot period showed a significant improvement in both error rate and dispensing time of these medications. This then allowed for better use of staff time within the pharmacy department, and a smoother and safer discharge for our patients going home for end of life care."

Improving the accuracy and turn-around time of controlled drug prescribing for patients being discharged home for end-of-life care

S Daniel, J Patel, D Benson
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u203589.w1595

Read more here.

Review of specialist pharmacy services in England

"This report summarises the findings and recommendations of the Review of Specialist Pharmacy Services (SP Srvcs) in England."

The Review of Specialist Pharmacy Services in England

K Ridge

NHS England

May 2014

Read more here. 

Professional standards for homecare services in England

"The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Professional Standards for Homecare Services in England aims to ensure that patients experience a consistent quality of homecare services that will protect them from incidences of avoidable harm and help them to get the best outcomes from their medicines"

Handbook for homecare services in England: professional standards
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
May 2014

Read more here.

New medicines, better medicines, better use of medicines

"The Guide ... highlights the major challenges and opportunities faced when creating new medicines, improving existing medicines or ensuring the better, safer use of medicines, and makes recommendations and calls for action."

New medicines, better medicines, better use of medicines: a guide to the science underpinning pharmaceutical practice 
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
May 2014

Read more here.

Now or never: shaping pharmacy for the future

"The final sections of the report focus on what needs to be done if pharmacists are to increasingly assume the role of supporting patients with effective medicines use and by serving as care-givers in the health system, working in close partnership with other health and social care professionals as well as with patients."

Now or never: shaping pharmacy for the future
J Smith, C Picton, M Dayan
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
October 2013

Read more here.

Does quality affect patients' choice of doctor?

"In this report we investigate the effect of the practice quality on patients' choices amongst practices, allowing for other factors such as distance to the practice, the gender and age of practice GPs, their country of qualification, and the type of practice contract and whether the practice is permitted to dispense as well as prescribe."

Does quality affect patients' choice of doctor? Evidence from the UK
R Santos, H Gravelle, C Propper
Centre for Health Economics, University of York
June 2013

Read more here.

Providing community-based health practitioners with timely and accurate discharge medicines information

"The Medicines Information Transfer Fax (MITF) is an effective approach for the timely delivery of accurate discharge medicines information to community-based practitioners responsible for the patient's ongoing care."

Providing community-based health practitioners with timely and accurate discharge medicines information
AV Gilbert, B Patel, M Morrow, D Williams, MS Roberts, AL Gilbert
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:453

Read more here.

Systematic review of knowledge translation strategies in the allied health professions

"The present study is the first systematic review of the effectiveness of a variety of knowledge translation interventions in five allied health disciplines: dietetics, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology."

Systematic review of knowledge translation strategies in the allied health professions
SD Scott, et al.
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:70

Read more here.