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.
- Poster presented to IHI Conference in Nashville, 2008 (PDF 1.3 MB)
- Poster presented to IHI Conference in Nashville, 2008 (PDF 1.4 MB)
