We have had some interesting queries over the past few months which have required some time to answer in full. We also had some feedback from previous queries which we respond to below. All our visiting pharmacists are there to respond to your queries and if they can’t answer the question on the spot, we…
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Who issues medication safety alerts? The Medicines Healthcare Products and Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for issuing medication and medical device safety alerts. How are these communicated? This autumn, the way the MHRA communicates safety alerts is changing. All medication safety and critical alerts that need to be actioned by healthcare organisations will be issued…
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Articles in medical and pharmacy journals this month are asking us to adopt safer and more rational approaches to prescribing opioids. One comes from experts in chronic pain, notably Cathy Stannard, consultant in complex pain and Clinical Lead for the Pain Transformation Programme at NHS Gloucestershire CCG (1), and her…
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A letter in the recent BMJ Supportive and Palliative care journal(1) has raised questions on the safety of prescribing for 24-hour syringe pumps ahead of need. It reflects that the Gosport War Memorial inquiry has increased public and clinical awareness of the use of syringe pumps for the delivery of opioids…
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This NICE guideline was updated in July 2019 and covers the planning and management of end of life and palliative care for infants, children and young people (aged 0–17 years) with life-limiting conditions. It aims to improve the support available and involve young people and their families in decisions…
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1. What do we do if we find a fentanyl patch has fallen off? If you have a patch-checking chart, see when it was last observed in place. If it was still on the patient’s skin up to 12 hours ago, apply a new patch as the levels will not have fallen too far. Monitor…
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Articles in medical and pharmacy journals this month are asking us to adopt safer and more rational approaches to prescribing opioids. One comes from experts in chronic pain, notably Cathy Stannard, consultant in complex pain and Clinical Lead for the Pain Transformation Programme at NHS Gloucestershire CCG (1), and her…
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Questions on medicines, procedures and practice from hospice staff: 1. Is it ok to put a Tegaderm over a patch if it keeps falling off? Patches not sticking is a problem which can be caused by patient factors – oily or sweaty skin – and product factors – some seem not to adhere…
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Much of the content of this article is taken from a talk given by Dr Paul Farquhar-Smith (Consultant in Pain Management and Anaesthetics, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust) at the ASPCP annual conference in November 2018. Cannabis has been used as pain relief in many ancient cultures including China…
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The SPC for tapentadol has been revised to include the additional warning that concomitant use of other sedating medicinal products may result in sedation, respiratory depression, coma and death. Prescribers are advised to consider reducing the dose of one or both agents, if tapentadol is required in addition to one…
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