Understanding and Appraising the New Medicine Service in England (NMS)

University of Nottingham

Status

Completed

Conditions

Hypertension

Asthma

Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Blood Coagulation

Treatments

Other: New Medicine Service

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01635361

12024

Details and patient eligibility

About

About 25% medicines prescribed for long term conditions are not taken as directed, and approximately 15% people receiving a new medicine take few, if any, doses. The New Medicine Service (NMS) is a community pharmacy service that started in England in October 2011 which involves the pharmacist providing additional support to patients starting a new medicine for some breathing problems (asthma & COPD), high blood pressure, adult onset diabetes or medicines which reduce blood clotting. It aims to improve the way patients take their medicines improving outcomes and reducing costs to the National Health Service (NHS).

The investigators will assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the NMS using a research study where some people will receive the NMS, and some won't, so The investigators can look at the effect of the NMS on problems with their medicines, medicines taking and use of the NHS in general. Data will be collected in the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and London areas.

The investigators will recruit 500 patients from a range of different pharmacies and follow them up at six, ten and twenty six weeks after starting their new medicine to assess effects on medicines taking behaviour, patients' reported problems with medicines, referrals to their General Practitioner (GP) and use of NHS resources. The investigators will compare the data gathered from this study with that being collected routinely by all pharmacies in England to provide wider estimates of cost effectiveness.

The investigators will also explore how the NMS service is being implemented by pharmacies. A sample of patients from the main study will be followed in more detail. This will involve recording the consultations with the pharmacist and also interviewing patients about their experience of the service. The investigators will interview the patients GP to investigate their views of the service. The investigators will also try to understand why people decline the invitation for the NMS

Enrollment

504 patients

Sex

All

Ages

14+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Community dwelling patients eligible for NMS (aged from 14 years starting a new medicine for asthma/COPD, diabetes (Type 2), antiplatelet/anticoagulation or hypertension).

Exclusion criteria

Patients collecting a repeat prescription for a medicine (i.e. not new) for asthma/COPD, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), antiplatelets/anticoagulants or hypertension
Patients collecting a medicine where the only change from the previous medicine involves a dosage or formulation change only
Participants who are unable to understand patient/participant study documents
Participants who are unable and unwilling to provide written consent / assent