Patients’ own medicines are the medicines that patients have obtained prior to admission and bring to hospital, the use of these is now usual practice. It has been shown to have a beneficial effect on medicines wastage and drug expenditure and facilitates the transfer of patients between healthcare settings. Ordering medicines for individuals is the ordering of medicines/products for individual patients. Both activities contribute to the wider medicines optimisation agenda.
Medicines optimisation is defined as a person‑centred approach to safe and effective medicines use, to ensure people obtain the best possible outcomes from their medicines.
The Medicines Optimisation Programme aims to compliment the development and enhancement of medicines optimisation skills to support pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians and pharmacy technicians to work competently within local services. As you progress through this programme you will develop your skills and demonstrate competence for the following processes which effectively contribute to the wider Medicines Optimisation agenda, ultimately supporting patients making the most of their medicines
- The Assessment of Patients' Own Drugs
- Medicines Reconciliation
- Transcribing for Supply
Medicines Reconciliation is the process of creating the most accurate list possible of all medicines a patient is taking including drug name, dosage, frequency, and route. This list is then compared against the prescriber’s admission, transfer, and/or discharge orders, with the goal of providing correct medicines to the patient at all transition points within the healthcare setting. Transcribing for Supply is the ordering of medicines/products for individual patients. Medicines Reconciliation and Transcribing for Supply can effectively contribute to the wider Medicines Optimisation agenda ultimately supporting patients to make the most of their medicines.