The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has added a new clinical audit to PharmOutcomes to help community pharmacies to identify patients at risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeds. Developed by the NHS East & South East England Specialist Pharmacy Services (SPS) medicines use and safety team, and available to all pharmacies in England, the easy-to-complete audit is designed to improve patient safety and strengthen the evidence for pharmacy interventions.

A pilot of the audit in five community pharmacies found that nearly one-third of patients who had been taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) regularly for more than two months were not taking any gastro protection, including two patients over the age of 75. Adverse effects from NSAIDs, including GI bleeds, are a common cause of preventable hospital admissions, particularly in the elderly. 

“If these results are seen in other pharmacies, there is a significant improvement in patient safety to be made using a quick and simple intervention, which could provide powerful evidence of the value of community pharmacy’s role as a safety net in the medicines pathway,” said Dr Carina Livingstone, associate director, medicines use and safety at NHS SPS.

Gary Warner, chair of PSNC’s Service Development Subcommittee added: “The clinical audit is an important part of the community pharmacy contractual framework, but it’s also an opportunity for pharmacies to really improve patient safety and to show the NHS the difference that we make in this area.”