Patients unsure about use of medicines
Liz Hoctor, vice-president of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU), said around 23% of patients are concerned they are not taking their medicines properly.
“It is very worrying that patients are concerned that they are not taking their medicines correctly,” she said.
“If people are not taking their medicines properly, they are less likely toget better and more likely to end up in hospital.”
During a presentation to the Oireachtas Sub-Committee on the Adverse SideEffects of Pharmaceuticals, Ms Hoctor compared the Irish situation with that inBritain.
She said the union has been advocating the introduction of medication reviews for a considerable period of time.
“In the UK, preventable drug reactions are implicated in up to 17% of hospital admissions in older patients,” she said. “Many of these admissions could have been prevented if patients had a better understanding and knowledge of the medication they were taking. Where there is a concern that a patient in Ireland is not taking the medication as prescribed and therefore not getting the benefit of themedicine, the IPU is now proposing that its members carry out medication reviews with these patients.”
Pharmacists are required to check each prescription for errors, drug interactions and side effects but after it is given out there are no further checks.
Research in Sweden and Denmark shows medication reviews have resulted insavings of over €100 million and 174 lives a year.
Ms Hoctor insisted reviews were a normal part of the work of pharmacists inother jurisdictions.
The union has also voiced concerns over health centres with on-site pharmacies.
Ms Hoctor said there was a risk of a commercial relationship developing between doctors and pharmacists in the centres which could affect patient choice.
The union urged Health Minister Mary Harney to address the issue of patient safety in the upcoming Pharmacy Bill.
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