A joint project between Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Oxford Academic Health Science Network has won an AF Association Healthcare Pioneer Award ‘Showcasing Best Practice in AF’.
The project, supported by educational MEGS grants from Pfizer and Daiichi-Sankyo, was launched in March 2017. Its aim is to upskill both GPs and community pharmacists to improve management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have poor time in therapeutic range (TTR) on warfarin. As part of the project two specialist anticoagulation pharmacists (1 WTE), with haematology consultant support, provide:
- email and telephone advice
- educational sessions and note-based reviews in GP practices
- education sessions for community pharmacists to help effectively deliver the New Medicines Service and Medicines Use Reviews to patients on anticoagulants
55 out of 70 Oxfordshire practices have engaged with the project. Feedback from GPs following outreach support has been positive:
- 100% agreed or strongly agreed that the content, structure and presentation of the session were at the appropriate level
- all GPs would recommend the educational session to colleagues
Data shows an improving trend in the number of patients on warfarin with poor TTR since the project began. The project will be published in 2018.
Discussions are under way with Oxfordshire CCG over the long-term future of the project.
Read more about the Oxford AHSN’s work in AF here.