A99 Non-medical prescribing essentials for common long term conditions

Aims / objectives

• Develop an overview of common pharmacological agents used for managing Diabetes, Renal Disease, CHF and COPD.
• Have a better understanding of best treatment in patients with these diseases and their proper application within the context of national targets and guidelines.
• Improve prescribing practice for these patients, both within a cost effective and patient management context.
• Become aware of some of the latest innovations in pharmacological management of these LTCs

Course programme

• Interactive learning is a key feature of this course. You will look at case studies and real situations that have been encountered.

• The day will start with establishing your familiarity with the following principles which will be used in the case studies.
• An understanding of what medicines optimisation means and how this plays an important role in each of the conditions.
• What is a medication review and the different levels of medicines reviews.
• How often should you review a patient's medication.
• What is medicines reconciliation and why this is particularly important in long term conditions.
• Why is patient experience and involvement essential?
• Consider drug-drug interactions when prescribing new medicines
• Be aware of black triangle medicines.

• Renal Disease
• Renal disease: stages and monitoring of the disease.
• Prescribing and dose alterations for different stages.
• Acute kidney injury (AKI) including prevention and awareness of medications that often place patients at risk.
• The importance of hydration.

• COPD
• Which inhalers and when to prescribe.
• Prescribing other oral medicines in COPD; what is the evidence.
• Prescribing in advance of exacerbatoin including patient education.
• High dose steroid cards.

• Chronic Heart Failure
• A brief overview of the medicines prescribed in CHF
• Maximising doses in chronic heart failure
• How to manage side effects including medication alterations.

• Diabetes
• When to treat type II diabetes
• Current prescribing guideline recommendations
• Insulin and its management
• Blood glucose monitoring- when, why and is it necessary?
• Risk factors and prescribing preventative medicines
• Practical problems such as:
• - Diabetes treatment and the patient fasting for religious reasons
• - Hypoglycaemic attacks: Patient or partner recognition.
• - Long distance flights and time changes: how and when to take diabetes medication.

Led by

TBA