Integrated Medicines Management
Background:
Integrated Medicines Management (IMM) was originally a project run in
United Hospitals
Trust, funded through Executive Programme Funds. By targeting the work of pharmacy staff, the team at
United demonstrated significant improvements in patient care. These included:
- Reduction in length of stay by an average of 2 days
- Reduction in re-admission rates of 20%
- Reduction in drug costs
- Improved communication with primary care
- Improved utilisation of staff time.
Brief Description of Project:
IMM seeks to maximise health through the optimal use of medicines. It
encompasses
all aspects of the use of medicines and involves re-engineering the pharmacy workforce.
Aims:
- roll-out IMM to a number of hospital sites across Northern Ireland by March 2008;
- re-engineer the pharmacy workforce and systems relating to medicines management at these sites; and
- deliver service improvements and associated efficiency savings as demonstrated by the outcomes of the United Hospitals Trust IMM pilot.
Progress
to Date:
IMM has been implemented in the following Trusts: - United Hospitals
and Craigavon
from April 2005, Altnagelvin from January 2006 and the Ulster and Mater from April 2006.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are based at ward level. They focus
on taking
medication histories on admission, monitoring and educating the patient with regard to their medicines
during their hospital stay and liaising with GPs and community pharmacists on discharge. More detailed
information on changes to medicines during the patients’ stay will be sent to GPs on discharge.
Priorities for 2007/08:
- Establishing IMM as the routine clinical pharmacy service provided at the identified sites.
- Further liaison between primary and secondary care re: medicines management.
