Virtual Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (VPPMC) to improve medication safety.

What is the issue for NSW?

Demand for acute health services, including emergency medical care, has increased by over NSW¹. However, recent data highlights that inefficient patient flow through Emergency Departments (EDs) and hospitals is a significant barrier to adequately meeting these demands.¹ Delays and errors in medication charting can prevent timely hospital discharge, leading to longer durations of ED and hospital stay. This can result in a backlog of patients overcrowding EDs and ambulance ramping. These challenges are exacerbated in regional and rural NSW.

The Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) is an interprofessional, collaborative model of care designed to prevent medication errors before they occur by involving pharmacists directly in charting of medicines. PPMC has been shown to improve patient flow and reduce length of stay and has been implemented in all states of Australia except in NSW and the Northern Territory². However, the current model requires a pharmacist to be available onsite and may be unsustainable in smaller remote hospitals that do not have an onsite pharmacy service.

1. Parliament of New South Wales. Impact of ambulance ramping and access block on the operation of hospital emergency departments in New South Wales.
2. New South Wales. Parliament Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 2 – Health Report no 60. Impact of ambulance ramping and access block on the operation of hospital emergency departments in New South Wales. In: 60. NSWPLCPCN-HRn, ed: New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative Council. Portfolio Committee No. 2 – Health. Report no. 60.; 2022

What does the research aim to do and how?

This research aims to evaluate the effect of a Virtual Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (VPPMC) on patient outcomes, explore factors that affect implementation, and assess scalability across NSW. This will be achieved through a clustered-randomised controlled trial (RCT), where pharmacists use virtual healthcare to assist doctors chart medications for patients in rural and regional hospitals without an onsite pharmacy service. The virtual model will address geographical and resource barriers to current models. Qualitative interviews will be conducted to evaluate the success and acceptability of the model and guide the scaling up of the VPPMC intervention throughout NSW.