Supporting safe use of medicines

Colin G AdairNI Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development

School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast

Queen’s University Belfast

Medicines safety

• Shipman– Murdered 15 patients– Possibly 214 others

• Adverse incidents– £290,000 per event– 1,100 deaths annually– 11% of in-patients– 8.5 additional days

Medicines safety

• Shipman– Murdered 15 patients– Possibly 214 others

• Adverse incidents– £290,000 per event– 1,100 deaths annually– 11% of in-patients– 8.5 additional days

• Final Shipman report

Education support - 2006

NI Response to the Recommendations of the Shipman Inquiry

– GPs– Pharmacists– Nurse prescribers– Foundation doctors– Other trainees

Sustainable

Learning methods

eLearning

• Why incidents occur• Learning from incidents• Prescribing safely• High-risk medicines• Drug calculations

• CD legislation• Commonly made errors• Safer medical and non-

medical prescribing• Records and disposal

Comparison of methods

• NI response to the Shipman Inquiry– Controlled drugs– Medicines safety

• Identical content as:– Workshop– Print-based distance learning– Online course

• Measurement– Course evaluation– Post-course assessment

Comparison of methodscourse evaluation (2007)

Descriptor Live Printed* eLearning*

Objectives (1-5) 4.64 4.47 4.46

Relevance (1-5) 4.73 4.50 4.49

Content (1-5) 4.67 4.28 3.93

Presentation (1-5) 4.62 4.25 3.93

Stimulus (1-4) 3.75 3.50 3.70

Overall (0-9) 8.09 7.81 7.58

*significantly lower than live

Comparison of methodscourse evaluation (2011)

Descriptor Live Printed* eLearning

Objectives (1-5) 4.64 4.47 4.68

Relevance (1-5) 4.73 4.50 4.75

Content (1-5) 4.67 4.28 4.65

Presentation (1-5) 4.62 4.25 4.70

Stimulus (1-4) 3.75 3.50 3.70

Overall (0-9) 8.09 7.81 7.99

*significantly lower than live and eLearning

Can you

get it to run

on my

iPad?

Feedback

“First time I have used elearning and was pleased I could use it successfully”

“I will be in an environment where the particular errors mentioned could occur and I feel that the added awareness I now have after the course should help me in my daily practice.”

Comparison of methodspost-course assessment

Live Printed eLearning

87±8% 85±5% 84±7%

Six month post-course test: 83±7%

Programme costs

Overall NICPLD costs: £9.65/hour

Daytime workshop

Evening workshop

Distance learning

Vocational training

£15.10 £10.10 £6.49 £6.30

Programme costs

Overall NICPLD costs: £9.65/hour

Daytime workshop

Evening workshop

Distance learning

Vocational training

£15.10 £10.10 £6.30£2.7

7

Conclusion

• MedicinesNI – 2917 users– 2495 courses completed

• NICPLD – 350/95 hours eLearning– 2010: assessment online-only– 2011: evaluation, application online-only

• Costs • Responsiveness

– Responsible pharmacist regulations

Professional pharmacy education

• NES

• CPPE

• WCPPE

• NICPLD

• ICCPE

Professional pharmacy education

Fran Lloyd

Michael Mawhinney

Maureen McCann

Suzanne Murray

Gillian Redpath

Thanks to Norman Morrow and Diane Taylor, DHSSPSNI