Patients are nearly three times more likely to be given the wrong medicines as a result of an error in their hospital discharge letter if the information is sent electronically, according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
A separate study from the university has found that almost half of glaucoma patients do not take their sight protecting medication on the daily basis necessary for the benefits to be obtained.
These and other findings will be unveiled as part of a two-day conference for doctors, nurses, clinicians and pharmacists at the university on May 5 and 6.
The Health Services Research and Pharmacy Practice (HSRPP) Conference aims to bring together researchers and those working in the healthcare sector.
The theme of the conference is ‘research in partnership’ and organisers hope it will raise awareness of the benefits of research, as well as to get both the healthcare community and general public more involved in research.
Topics for discussion will cover a range of themes – from diabetes and drug addiction to wound dressings and weight management.
Keshma Patel, clinical pharmacist, will present her research on problems with electronic communication methods within the NHS.
She said: “Historically, when patients left hospital, a letter was prepared for the GP to communicate necessary information including details of the patient’s prescribed medication.
“But with ever tighter targets for NHS hospitals and advances in technology there has been greater adoption of electronic communication methods within the NHS.
“Several hospital trusts have now adopted electronic versions of these letters. Research conducted at UEA with Basildon and Thurock hospital NHS Trust suggests that the likelihood of an error in an electronic letter is nearly three times greater than for the traditional paper letters.
“The main problem is doctors selecting the wrong medicine from drop down lists which were not available to them in the days of hand written discharge letters.”
Research into glaucoma carried out by Heidi Cate and Pharmacy Practice lecturer Dr Debi Bhattacharya will also be revealed at the conference.
Dr Bhattacharya said: “With an aging population, the proportion of patients being diagnosed with glaucoma is ever increasing. The condition is usually managed by giving patients eye drops to use daily which cannot cure the condition but can reduce or prevent long term sight loss.
“Our research, conducted together with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has found that 40 per cent of patients prescribed this sight protecting medication do not use it on the daily basis necessary for the full benefits to be obtained.
“The actual results were that 40 per cent take less than 80 per cent of the medication that they are prescribed by their doctor.
“We have also found that patients satisfied with the information that they receive about their medication are much more likely to take it regularly. It is therefore essential that healthcare professionals take the time to provide patients with the information that they desire about their medication at the point of initiation."
The annual event is hosted by different institutions each year and this is the first time the conference will take place at UEA.
Key note speakers include Prof Nicholas Mays from Health Services Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Prof Ross Tsuyuki,director of the Epidemiology Coordinating and Research centre at the University of Alberta.
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