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Did you know Ashtons provides access to two useful patient resources: MaPPs and Choice and Medication?

Ashtons Hospital Pharmacy useful patient resources: MaPPs and Choice and Medication

There is a considerable body of research showing better clinical outcomes among patients who are consulted about their treatment and who understand the function of the medications prescribed. This is a key issue in the CQC’s fundamental standards and we provide access to two key tools to help healthcare facilities improve patient involvement in their treatment.

MaPPs (A Medication and Patient Profile Summary)

MaPPs is an online information resource designed to assist patients in understanding their treatment by giving an electronic summary of each patient’s medication with a plain English explanation of what each drug is, what it is for and any side effects. This information is quick to produce, send or print for the patient.

MaPPs is simple to use. Staff just need to enter the patient’s name, then select each medicine from a drop-down menu until all the patient’s medication has been selected. It is particularly useful for patients being discharged or for TTOs, or those who struggle to understand their condition and medication regime; improving knowledge can improve medication compliance.

MaPPs’s also features:

  • Larger print for people who are visually impaired
  • Personalised reminder charts showing medication doses, time and instructions for use
  • Medication Administration Record (MAR) charts similarly showing patient medication regimes

The reminder chart or MAR chart can be used as part of a self-administration programme within the site by helping to promote compliance with prescribed treatment.

Choice and Medication – online mental health information

Choice and Medication is a highly recommended online source of information about mental health conditions and medications, for both patients and healthcare professionals. It can be used by prescribers and nurses to help patients make choices about their psychiatric medicines. Informed decision-making aids treatment choice, which is a key part of mental health care policy.

The Choice and Medication website:

  • Is designed for patients to get access to information on commonly prescribed medication used to treat mental health conditions
  • Allows staff to easily compare the medicines used for each mental health condition
  • Can be used by carers and as a valuable reference source for mental health professionals to aid their continuous professional development.
  • Gives access to a wide range of ‘easy-to-read’, downloadable Patient Information Leaflets in a range of over 18 languages.

The site was developed by Professor Stephen Bazire, author of the Psychotropic Drug Directory and is updated and maintained by national experts in line with changing UK guidelines.

How can I access these tools?

These important tools to help service users get access to information about their treatment are both available via the Ashtons Live View homepage.

 

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Ashtons’ antipsychotic dosage and percentage calculator

Ashtons Antipyschotic Dosage and Perecentage Calculator

Ashtons has recently produced a new handy antipsychotic dosage and percentage calculator. The guide offers an easy way to calculate the percentage BNF values of each antipsychotic. The chart is presented in an easy-to-use table form in alphabetical order, of the most commonly used antipsychotics and their most frequently used doses. The chart includes antipsychotics in oral, intramuscular, long acting and depot formulations. The values are calculated as daily doses for oral/IM medication and weekly doses for long acting/depot antipsychotics. We have also included a guide to calculating cumulative doses.

There are three primary reasons for the importance of these values:

  1. To understand the combined values and identify if high dose antipsychotic monitoring is required, i.e. if the cumulative dose of the antipsychotics prescribed are above 100% BNF limit.
  2. To maintain within the required legal requirements where the MHA documentation specifies a specific BNF upper limit.
  3. To help understand comparative BNF percentages of different antipsychotics, which can prove useful during switches and augmentation of antipsychotics. Please note it may be useful to also refer to the Maudsley guidance for first-generation or second-generation antipsychotic equivalent doses (pages 14 and 15 in The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry, 13th edition, by David Taylor et al) to assist with switching.

As Clopixol Acuphase (zuclopenthixol acetate) has its own unique way to calculate the BNF cumulative dose (doses given within a two-week period), we have also provided a useful guide to assist you with this specific treatment.

As a reminder, high dose antipsychotic monitoring is recommended as per the Royal College of Psychiatrists high-dose antipsychotic treatment consensus (CR190), The Maudsley Guidelines and NICE clinical guideline (CG178) for psychosis and schizophrenia in adults: prevention and management. To assist you with complying with this monitoring requirement, Ashtons has a useful, recently updated ‘High Dose Antipsychotic Monitoring Form’ (HDAT1). This can be ordered free of charge via the Ashtons online ordering system or by contacting customer services on 0345 222 3550 or customerservice@ahps.co.uk

Your visiting pharmacists will circulate A4 poster versions of the chart for each ward, and we have also created A5 versions to circulate to clinicians at sites. If you have not yet received a personal copy, please be sure to let your visiting pharmacist or customer services know, and we will be happy to provide you with additional copies.

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Welcome to Ashtons’ new e-learning system

Ashtons e-learning system clinical training for healthcare staff displayed on a tablet

Transform your learning experience

Our new e-learning system has been designed to transform your learning experience, with new modules, new content and engaging new learning techniques to help you get the best understanding of our clinical topics.

Our new system is simple and easy to use, with new engaging content to help your staff achieve confidence in a range of clinical topics.

The new condensed modules are tightly focused on learning objectives, and learning with videos and interactive real-world scenarios helps reinforce information. All of the modules are aimed at nursing and medical staff, although healthcare assistants may find the side effects module useful.

Brand-new concise modules

All of the modules on our new system are brand new and are much more concise, taking between 45 minutes and an hour to complete. They are designed to be focused on key learning points to make it more manageable for busy healthcare staff, and easier for them to remember the information they need.

All courses accredited with CPD-UK

To help with continuing professional development, all courses are accredited with CPD-UK.

Modules on the new system

  • Using medication to deal with acute disturbance
  • Medicines management
  • Side effects of medication
  • Management of patients on clozapine
  • Side effects of clozapine

Increased interactivity with real-world scenarios

The new and improved modules provide an engaging learning experience with increased interactivity through videos and real-world scenarios. Every few slides there is a real-world scenario, which prompts users to answer questions or solve a problem, which helps to reinforce learning objectives.

An intuitive system, with increased managerial oversight

The new system has been designed to be simple to use and easy to navigate. Site training leads are able to allocate modules, either in bulk or to specific individuals, including setting deadlines for modules to be completed. In addition, the reporting functions allow a learner’s line manager to be identified so they can keep track of progress.

How do I sign up to the new system?

Staff at sites visited by Ashtons can sign up for these modules here.

Please note that this link is only for sites registered within Ashtons.