Posters: Practice Research

Abstract

Introduction The aims of this project were to determine the way in which ICT is used by pharmacists in Europe and its impact on models of service delivery. The WHO estimated that 50% of patients typically do not take their medicines as prescribed and poor adherence is "a worldwide problem of a striking magnitude"1. Pharmacists are strategically best placed in the healthcare system to improve patients' medication adherence2. ICT represents a huge contribution to pharmacists' workload and is often used by pharmacists for different purposes. ICT is traditionally employed by pharmacists as a tool for stock control. However, it can also contribute to more patient focussed activities such as monitoring patient adherence. In Europe there are over 400,000 pharmacists, over 160,000 pharmacies. No two pharmacy systems are exactly the same3. Method A 35 item online questionnaire in 7 different languages was launched in 30 different European countries in November 2010 for twelve months. Currently data from 2379 (75% response rate) pharmacists have been collected and analysed by means of descriptive, univariate, and inferential statistics. Relationships between variables were explored using Chisquared. School of Pharmacy Ethics approval to conduct this study was obtained. Results Responses to the questionnaire were analysed and are summarised as follows. ICT was used by 25.5% (n = 606) pharmacists to monitor patient adherence. 14% (n = 333) of pharmacists added dispensed OTC to the patient medication record (PMR) and 75% (n = 1784) checked adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in real time using ICT support. 20% (n = 475) of pharmacists kept electronic patient medication records (e-PMR). 15% (n = 356) confirmed that they were able to share e-PMR with other health care providers. Although 18% (n = 428) of pharmacists could receive electronic prescriptions only 16% (n = 380) could dispense them. 22% (n = 523) confirmed that ICT in pharmacies flagged when a counterfeit medication was dispensed. 98% (n = 2311) of pharmacies had in place a system to control stock level but only 41% (n = 975) of pharmacists correctly identified the appropriate stock level as a proportion to turnover. Relationships (p