November 2016 was successful for Antrim Area Hospital and MOIC. Professor Michael Scott (Director MOIC) received the UKCPA Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 at the UKCPA Conference at the Hilton Hotel Manchester Airport, 4 November 2016. Julie Magee, pharmacist at Antrim Area Hospital, was the winner of the best poster at the Hospital Pharmacy Europe Live, 10 November 2016, at the London Olympia Conference Centre. Seamus O’Reilly, Medical Director NHSCT, congratulated Professor Michael Scott and Julie Magee.
Doctor Light Discharge
Julie Magee has won the best poster for ‘Doctor Light Discharge’. Entries were open to hospital pharmacists from across the UK and Europe working on innovative research and pilot projects. Julie’s winning poster will be featured the Hospital Pharmacy Europe Journal in January 2017.
After a patient is deemed medically fit there can be delays before a doctor can prepare the discharge summary. This can be due to medical staff attending ward rounds or carrying out other duties. The aim of this study was to reduce delay in the discharge process by introducing a ‘Doctor Light Discharge’. This involved the Pharmacist Independent Prescriber preparing the discharge summary and medication section. Data was collected on Ward A1 before and after ‘Doctor Light Discharge’ summaries were introduced. Time was recorded from the time pharmacy was informed of discharge until the discharge summary was written. The time reduced from a mean of 127 minutes when the medical staff was preparing the discharge summary to 33 minutes when it was prepared by the pharmacist. Statistical analysis, carried out using Mann-Whitney U test, indicated that the discharge summaries were ready significantly more quickly during the intervention.
An audit was carried out on the ‘Doctor Light Discharge’ summaries and showed that in 100% (25/25) of the letters prepared by the pharmacist all information required was present and correct. The results of this study show that a pharmacist independent prescriber can generate an accurate, complete and timely discharge summary.
Julie Magee Poster The introduction of a Dr Light Discharge service
Julie Magee, winner of the best poster at the Hospital Pharmacy Europe Live, 10 November 2016.
Prof Michael Scott with the UKCPA Lifetime Achievement Award 2016.