Pharmacist impact on AKI discharge communication
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What impact does a specialist pharmacist service have on the post discharge communication of medicines optimisation issues in patients with acute kidney injury?
IRAS ID
171294
Contact name
Dominic Moore
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is essential that appropriate information is provided upon transfer of care, especially within acute kidney injury (AKI) management as medicines are commonly stopped or changed during the patients hospital stay. Recent research has shown the up to 50% of patients discharged from hospital have no communication to their GP regarding medication changes due to acute kidney injury. This study is aiming to determine the impact a specialist pharmacist service has on the discharge communication about AKI and relevant medicine optimisation issues to patients and their general practitioners.
Patients currently managed on the nephrology ward who have been diagnosed with AKI at Derby NHS Foundation Trust will be approached to be a part of this study. Approximately 128 patients are required to be recruited to the study to show if the specialist pharmacist had any significant impact. Subject to patient recruitment, the research project aims to be completed within five months of starting.
Once consented, patients will be sequentially allocated to either receive standard discharge care and care from a specialist kidney pharmacist or receive standard discharge care (may see a member from the pharmacy team). Patients allocated to see the specialist pharmacist will have to spend a small amount of their time during their hospital stay speaking to the pharmacy regarding their medication. After discharge, patients from both arms of the study will be contacted to complete a telephone questionnaire; the results from the two groups will be compared to determine the impact of the specialist pharmacist
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0215
Date of REC Opinion
15 May 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion