14 May 2009

Two new Drug Use Evaluation (DUE) tools have been developed by the National Prescribing Service Ltd (NPS) to assist health professionals working in aged care facilities with optimal drug therapy relating to laxative use, and hypnotics.

The NPS DUE toolkits provide localised activities to compare current drug use against best practice and guide health professionals in their decision making to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

“Laxatives are one of the most frequently used medicines in long term aged care facilities - up to half of nursing home residents have reported experiencing constipation and 74% are receiving at least one laxative preparation[1],” NPS Education and Quality Assurance Program Manager, Judith Mackson said.

“But despite their widespread use, it is often difficult to assess the efficacy of laxatives. The inappropriate treatment of constipation can have a significant impact on the resident’s quality of life and increase the cost of care. The Laxative use for chronic constipation DUE will support health professionals to ascertain if current practice is at odds with best practice,” Ms Mackson said.

Benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics for insomnia is the first electronic DUE toolkit to be available as a downloadable application for health professionals. The tool is a standalone data collection and analysis tool which is a valuable addition to the DUE resources.

This eDUE examines the appropriate use of medicines to manage insomnia in aged care facilities. The new electronic format contains fewer questions than other DUE tools, offers an intuitive interface and a variety of drop down menus. It also has a ‘save as you go’ mechanism, recognises appropriate dosage quantities and provides automatic feedback.

There are now four DUE toolkits available from NPS:

1. Benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics for insomnia (NEW eDUE version)
2. Laxative use for chronic constipation (NEW)
3. Antipsychotics for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia
4. Analgesics for persistent pain

Participation in these DUE activities will assist the aged care facility to meet components of the Residential Care Standards issued by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency and comply with the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council Guidelines for medication management in Residential Aged Care Facilities.

These DUE activities are also recognised by a number of health professional bodies as contributing to continuing education and professional development. To be eligible for professional development points, enter your details on the DUE access page on the NPS website.

The NPS DUE toolkits are downloadable at www.nps.org.au/due. For more information about DUE in aged care facilities, contact Aine Heaney at NPS on (02) 8217 8700 or info@nps.org.au.

ENDS