by MOIC | May 7, 2020 | News Release, Press
The Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC) hosted within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust and Ulster University have recently joined a major innovative inter-disciplinary health research project aimed at helping Europe’s ageing population to live actively and independently at home in their communities with the support of assisted living technology.
Funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, the research project has a value of €21 million and consists of a consortium of 36 partners across 14 European countries, and will run for four years. Led by the ALL (Assisting Living & Learning) Institute at Maynooth University, it is the largest European Commission funded health research grant to ever be led by an Irish university. The SHAPES acronym stands for Smart and Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in supportive Systems.
Citizens in a rapidly ageing European population are at greater risk of cognitive impairment, frailty and multiple chronic health conditions with considerable negative consequences for their independence, quality of life and for the sustainability of health and care systems. To help address this the SHAPES research aims to foster the large-scale deployment of integrated digital solutions which will bring greater independence and improved quality of life to citizens while demonstrating significant efficiency gains in health and care delivery across Europe.
Professor Mike Scott, MOIC commented:
“Very excited to be collaborating with a wide range of partners across 14 European countries on this project to improve Smart and Healthy Ageing. This is the first time MOIC have been involved in such a large scale project to improve healthcare and promote independence in an ageing community.”
The team from MOIC also includes Dr Glenda Fleming and Dr Claire Scullin
Professor Dewar Finlay, Engineering Research Director at Ulster University said:
“Ulster University is a recognised leader in data analytics and healthcare technology research. Caring for an ageing population is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. Smart technologies are helping to move care out of hospital and into the home, reducing pressure on the healthcare system.
“We are delighted to partner with organisations across Europe on this vital research project to improve the lives of older people here in Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe. Our role in the SHAPES project spans a number of aspects of healthcare technology development including UX engineering, data analytics, ecosystem business models, impact assessment and activities relating to the development of health technology standards and interoperability.”
The multidisciplinary team from Ulster is made up Professors Dewar Finlay and Jim Mclaughlin from the School of Engineering, Dr Shirley Davey (Ulster Business School) and Dr Raymond Bond and Dr Mark Donnelly from the School of Computing.
by Edel O'Sullivan, | Dec 12, 2019 | News Release, Press
MOIC recently were involved in evaluating a post discharge pharmacy follow up service in Northern Trust.
Patients taking lots of medication are at a higher risk of medication related problems such as interactions and adverse effects. This is a particular issue after admission to hospital as often there are several new or changes to medicines. During the 2018/19 year, the results from a post-discharge from hospital follow-up study were fully analysed by MOIC with assistance from researchers at Queen’s University Belfast.
In the study, patients (n=211) discharged from hospital on multiple medications were followed up by a clinical pharmacist by telephone at 5, 30 and 90 days post-discharge. The results indicated that those receiving such telephone calls had a:
- 9.9% reduction in 30 day readmission rates.
- 15.2% reduction in 90 day readmission rates.
- Positive health economic benefit, with return in investment at £51 per £1 spent at 30 days.
- High level patient satisfaction.
Following the positive results observed, funding was applied for under the Northern Ireland Transformation Funding programme and this was awarded during 2019 to roll this initiative out as a service in Antrim Area Hospital.
Since the roll out in September 2019 feedback from patients has been extremely positive. 73% of patients said they felt more confident about their medications after the calls and 82% said they would recommend it to a friend.
The below quotes are from patients that have received the telephone discharge service.
“Brilliant service as you are so weak and low and it helps to have a real person in contact with you so you can ask and clarify questions.”
“I really appreciated the follow-up after my discharge from hospital. I know how busy my local doctors are….. I don’t know how long you offered this service after discharge but personally I was glad of it, so thank you.”
“Really thought it was a great idea. Felt somebody cared.”
“Pharmacist very helpful. Nice to have a follow up and help from the discharge team after a stay in hospital.
by Edel O'Sullivan, | Dec 5, 2019 | News Release, Press, Uncategorized
Professor Mike Scott Head of Pharmacy Northern Trust and Director of MOIC has received the David Samways award from the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) procurement and distribution interest group (PDIG )in recognition of an outstanding contribution nationally to the practice of pharmacy procurement.
Speaking about this success Professor Scott said
“I am delighted to receive the David Samway award for contribution to the practice of pharmacy procurement. I knew David personally and all the work he did to develop this area of pharmacy practice and also to have such recognition from my procurement peers”
by Edel O'Sullivan, | Nov 28, 2019 | News Release, Press
MOIC alongside Department of Health and Pharmacy Management jointly organised Northern Ireland’s first dedicated Medicines Safety Conference in Belfast on Wednesday 28th November.
The event brought together healthcare staff to share and learn from examples of best practice in medication safety and showed how Northern Ireland is leading the way in medication safety. In addition, the conference considered the WHO Challenge, Medication Without Harm which aims to reduce medicine related harm by 50% over a 5 year period
The conference was chaired by Cathy Harrison Acting Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health, who said
“The occasion of Northern Ireland’s first ever dedicated Medicines Safety Conference gave us the opportunity to recognise examples of new and innovative practice from all sectors aimed at ensuring the safe use of medicines in Northern Ireland. By bringing healthcare staff together to share and learn from examples of best practice, we aim to use that energy and inspiration to improve the quality of care and make our system even safer for the benefit of our population.
The Conference gave us the opportunity to share our journey to date in developing Northern Ireland’s response to the WHO Third Global Patient Safety Challenge “Medication without Harm”, and to build support for our ambitious vision to build on our solid foundations and past successes using collective leadership to deliver system wide improvements.”
The conference welcomed some international experts , including Ciara Kirk Clinical Lead, National Medication Safety Programme, HSE National Quality Improvement Team who presented on developing and delivering the challenge with WHO and what the evidence says is working to improve safety in this area. Dr Catherine Duggan, Chief Executive Officer, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), based in the Hague provided an International view on the WHO Challenge.
The day closed with Angela Carrington Medication Safety Lead, Department of Health providing an update on Northern Ireland’s response to date on the Medication Without Harm challenge and showcased how we are prioritising patient safety in the delivery of medication.
by Edel O'Sullivan, | Oct 25, 2019 | News Release, Press
Department of Health Permanent Secretary, Richard Pengelly recently visited the Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC) in Antrim Area Hospital. The Centre was established four years ago and the event provided an update on the projects and achievements since it was established.
The Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC) is a regional centre in Northern Ireland dedicated to delivering better medicines use for the people of Northern Ireland. We are uniquely positioned to work alongside the health sector and the private sector to deliver better patient outcomes around medicines optimisation.
The MOIC team focuses on delivering research, innovation and business acumen to achieve medicines optimisation and to assist in the delivery of the Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework set out by the Department of Health. With approximately 41.5 million prescriptions issued in primary care every year and 1 in 5 adults dispensed 5 or more medicines, it is vital that we are getting the best usage out of our medicines.
MOIC showcased collaborative work across Health and Social Care, the voluntary sector and the private sector, all of which are delivering significant results in improving patient care through medicines optimisation such as the Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership.
The event also provided an opportunity to showcase a number of innovative projects being carried out with commercial partners, including the bed tracking system with Healthcare Analytics. This secure analytic tagging system has been rolled out throughout Antrim Area Hospital and is transforming how the Trust can manage beds and equipment throughout the hospital. MOIC are also working with Accelerate on testing a new rapid diagnostic test for sepsis in a number of hospitals in Northern Ireland and also with Arjo UK to test a novel scanning device for the prevention of pressure ulcers.
Department of Health Permanent Secretary, Richard Pengelly said:
“I am very impressed by what I have seen, the Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre has a strong patient focus and is committed to driving innovation in medicines use, working towards improved patient outcomes through research, innovations, quality improvement and knowledge sharing.
“Delivering Together identified increasing quality improvement as an important enabler of reform. Optimising the benefits of medicines is essential to support the wider transformation of our Health Service and this Centre has an important role to play in that context, by working collaboratively with health and social care professionals and using integrated technology solutions for the benefit of our patients.
“I wish you continued success of the Centre in supporting the important work in medicines optimisation across Northern Ireland. You have been carrying out excellent and dynamic work, and this Centre has developed a UK, European and world-wide reputation.”
Cathy Harrison, Acting Chief Pharmaceutical Officer said:
“I am delighted to see how the Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre has developed over the last four years and how it is supporting the transformation of services for patients across health and social care in Northern Ireland. I am also impressed to see the diversity of projects on display, the evidence of the many successful partnerships and collaborations with industry, academia and health, and how the work of the Centre has been recognised in the UK and Europe.
Professor Mike Scott, Director of MOIC
“We welcomed the opportunity to showcase MOIC’s work to Permanent Secretary, Richard Pengelly, four years on from our establishment. MOIC are committed to driving improvement in health through appropriate medicines use. We engage at an international level in order to bring learning and innovation back into healthcare in Northern Ireland and are focused on delivering the Department of Health’s Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework”
by Edel O'Sullivan, | Sep 11, 2019 | News Release, Press
MOIC are working alongside the Northern Health and Social Care Trust participating in the Antibiotic Review Kit (ARK) project. ARK is a five-year applied research programme, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which aims to improve antibiotic prescription ‘review and revise’ and stop antibiotics in patients who don’t need them.
This project is ongoing within the Trust and initial findings are indicating improvements in the study site. Roll out to other sites is currently being planned.
