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National VTE risk assessment tool

30th March 2010

The UK Department of Health (DH) has revised the national venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment tool as part of the national VTE prevention programme for the NHS in England.
From the 1st June 2010 all patients should be risk assessed on admission to hospital, using the criteria in the document, as outlined in a letter to all medical directors in England on the 24th March 2010.
The revised risk assessment tool is fully aligned to the new clinical guideline published by the National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness (NICE) earlier this year.
There are additioanl resources available to support the NHS in implementing VTE prevention on the DH website (see links below).

DH letter mandatory VTE risk assement
DH revised VTE risk assessment
NICE guideline CG92
DH VTE additional resources

HPCFusa flyer available for download

23rd March 2010

Please help support palliativedrugs.com by telling your colleagues about HPCFusa (2nd edition). We have created a pdf flyer suitable for e-mailing or printing to help you to do this which can be accessed from the link below or from the review section of HPCFusa in the new testimonials section on the website. Sample chapters are also available to download from this section.

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Palliativedrugs.com receives glowing review

23rd March 2010

Palliativedrugs.com website has received a glowing 6 page review in the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.
The author states that the website provides "the perfect forum for expert knowledge and is a 'must see' resource. It's existing content is voluminous reliable, filtered and reviewed by renowned clinicans and educators in the field".
The article positively appraises each section of the website in detail and concludes that "palliativedrugs.com is an invaluable resource for all practitioners who deal with end-of-life issues and symptom management", recommending it "wholeheartedly and without reservation".
The article can be accessed on-line from the link below (registration required).
Gavrin J. (2009) Expert Knowledge in Palliative Care on the World Wide Web: Palliativedrugs.org. Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy 23: 374–379.

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Happy 10th birthday palliativedrugs.com

22nd March 2010

Palliativedrugs.com is 10years old this year (2010) and to highlight it's success and associated achievements we have added a testimonials section featuring your comments on the website and reviews of PCF3, HPCFusa (2nd edition) and SMAC (4th edition). The testimonials section can be found on the main horizontal menu tab bar on the top of each website page (also see link below).
We would like to thank members for the support given in helping to make this a valuable resource for professionals and thus patients and families around the world. We are always grateful to receive your feedback and suggestions please email us hq@palliativedrugs.com.
Our aim is to keep the website free-access, but finances have been exhausted on more than one occassion, and it would have been impossible to continue without the personal financial support of one of the directors. We have constantly explored ways of securing core funding, and will continue to do so. Please support the site financially by:
1. Purchasing books via our website bookshop http://www.palliativebooks.com/
• Palliative Care Formulary (3e) UK edition
• Symptom Management in Advanced Cancer (4e)
• Hospice and Palliative Care Formulary USA (2e)
A Canadian version will also be available very shortly.
2. Completing a market research survey when invited to do so.
We are very grateful to those members who have done this, it really is a big help.
3. Making a donation or voluntary subscription.
We have never sought direct donations before, but if members or their organisations were so inclined to support our work, it would be most welcome. This could be in the form of a voluntary subscription. Please contact hq@palliativedrugs.com.
With your support, we know that the website will continue to grow and go from strength to strength.

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DH guidance for planning discharge

21st March 2010

The UK Department of Health (DH) has published a resource to support improvements in managing the discharge of individuals and transfer of care between settings for the elderly.

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NPSA rapid response report on omitted and delayed medicines in hospital

3rd March 2010

The UK National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has issued a rapid response report and supporting guidance (see below) on reducing harm from omitted and delayed medicines in hospital.
This report focuses on specific critical medicines. Immediate action is required by all NHS and independent organisations who admit patients for in-patient treatment and must be completed by 24th February 2011. Further work on reducing risks over a longer term is also planned.

NPSA Rapid Response Report
NPSA supporting information

Ibandronic acid revised dosing schedule in moderate renal impairment

3rd March 2010

The dosing schedule for ibandronic acid solution for infusion and tablets (Bondronat, Roche) for patients with moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance ≥30 and <50 mL/min) being treated for the prevention of skeletal events in patients with breast cancer and metastatic bone disease has been updated.

The new SPC for IV infusion now reads as follows:
For patients being treated for the prevention of skeletal events in patients with breast cancer and metastatic bone disease
• mild renal impairment (CLcr ≥50 and <80 mL/min) no dosage adjustment is necessary i.e. dose 6mg over 15min diluted in 100mL 0.9% saline or 5% glucose
• moderate renal impairment (CLcr ≥30 and <50 mL/min) dose 4mg over 1h diluted in 500mL 0.9% saline or 5% glucose
• severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min) dose 2mg over 1h diluted in 500mL 0.9% saline or 5% glucose

The new SPC for tablets now reads as follows:
For patients being treated for the prevention of skeletal events in patients with breast cancer and metastatic bone disease
• mild renal impairment (CLcr ≥50 and <80 mL/min) no dosage adjustment is necessary i.e. dose 50mg daily
• moderate renal impairment (CLcr ≥30 and <50 mL/min) a dosage adjustment to 50mg every second day
• severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min) a dosage adjustment to 50mg once weekly.

SPC for ibandronic acid infusion
SPC for ibandronic acid 50mg tablets

COPD consultation in England

3rd March 2010

The Department of Health has launched a consultation on a strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) services in England. The strategy sets out a number of recommendations to improve outcomes for patients and help to reduce the cost of COPD to the NHS including: identifying the disease earlier, improving diagnosis of COPD and asthma, helping people to manage their condition better through structured education and exercise, reducing admissions and re-admissions to hospital, improving access to end of life care, and working to prevent COPD. The consultation runs until 5th April 2010, the documentation can be accessed from the link below.

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Templates for SHAs and PCTs for monitoring use of money to implement End of Life Care Strategy

3rd March 2010

The Department of Health has issued Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and Primary Care Trust (PCT) directors of finance with templates to monitor how the additional money provided to help implement the End of Life Care Strategy in 2009/10 is being invested. See below for access to the templates.

Link to SHA templates
Link to PCT templates

NHS evidence: second annual evidence update on patient and carer involvement in chronic disease

3rd March 2010

The NHS evidence palliative and supportive care specialist library (formerly part of the National Library for Health) has produced the second annual evidence update on patient and carer involvement in chronic disease.

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