Pharmacy Anti-coagulation Management Services
The community pharmacy anti-coagulation management services (AMS) demonstration funded by Health Workforce New Zealand saw 15 community pharmacies provide anti-coagulation therapy (warfarin) to local patients in collaboration with general practices.
The demonstration aimed to provide safe and effective care, to benefit patients both in management of their health and in single point of care access, and to free up valuable GP and practice nurse time.
The demonstration
The demonstration, established in late 2010, involved pharmacists using standing orders for dispensing warfarin to selected patients while also having the authority to modify a prescription in collaboration with GP colleagues.
Stable patients on long term warfarin therapy took part in the demonstration and were enrolled by their medical practice. During the demonstration patients had regular blood tests at their enrolled pharmacy (finger prick point-of-care using Roche point-of-care test system) and prescribing protocols were put in place with the general practice working with the accredited pharmacy. GPs signed the standing orders for patients in their practice and designated which pharmacists they covered.
Demonstration sites were chosen to ensure the model was tested in a variety of settings and the sites met certain prerequisites to take part in the demonstration, with pharmacists undergoing specific training and assessment.
The project was overseen by a steering group, which included General Practitioners Dr Les Toop and Dr Clarie Hill, and Elizabeth Plant, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand.
The chosen pharmacies for the demonstration sites were: Amcal Mount Dispensary, Devon West Pharmacy, Elmwood Pharmacy, Heslop Pharmacy, Kawerau Pharmacy, Family Care 7 Day Pharmacy, Miramar Unichem Pharmacy, Olsen's Pharmacy, Owles Unichem, Papatoetoe City Centre Pharmacy, Radius Pharmacies-Greenmeadows, All Seasons Pharmacy, Tokoroa Unichem Pharmacy, Westview Pharmacy Ltd and Huntly West.
The service continues to expand and since July 2012 has been funded under the national pharmacy services contract with DHBs.
The evaluation report
An independent evaluation of the demonstration has been completed and has confirmed that management of Warfarin treatment by pharmacists is safe and convenient for patients with heart disease, and could save millions of dollars.
Read the full evaluation report:
- Evaluation Report - Community Pharmacy AMS evaluation report (PDF, 575.13KB)
- Appendices - Community Pharmacy AMS evaluation report appendices (PDF, 844.28KB)
For more information about the demonstration see:
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