A study of pharmaceutical care needs assessment in heart failure; to illustrate a multidisciplinary intervention to reduce hospital re-admissions in people with long term conditions

Abstract

Introduction The Edinburgh IMPACT (Improved Anticipatory Care and Treatment) is aimed at people with long term conditions, and focuses on improving patients’ quality of life and reducing preventable hospital admissions. The service is nurse led, and recently primary care pharmacists have been added to the team to perform a medication review pilot. Patients would be referred to the pharmacist, who would go to their house and review their medicines. The aim for this project was to assess pharmaceutical care needs of patients with heart failure, design a clinical document for the use in the care of these patients, and to develop a questionnaire to evaluate the medication review service. Methods A model of pharmaceutical care was adapted from a previous project, and was modified in order to show the multidisciplinary care for patients with heart failure. A pharmaceutical care plan for heart failure was developed by using a pharmaceutical care plan from previous work done on diabetes. A patient questionnaire with closed-ended questions was designed in order to evaluate the existing anticipatory care service. The draft care plan was revised following feedback from pharmacists in NHS Lothian. The draft patient questionnaire was piloted in two patients that had been seen by the pharmacist. Results The output from the project was a tool kit for documentation of the anticipatory care service to heart failure patients. The toolkit comprises; a model of care for heart failure, a two page clinical document (patient profile and care plan) that can be used in the care of patients with heart failure, and a patient questionnaire that enables other to evaluate the anticipatory care service when it is up and running properly. Conclusion The researcher has developed a set of tools that after some redesign and modifications can be used to support the care of patients with heart failure, and to evaluate the medication review service.