Workpackage 1: Safer Medicines In Primary Care

Significant research has been conducted by the CPCR during the initial five years of funding that relates to safe and cost-effective medicines management in vulnerable patient groups. In the second phase of funding, this programme of activity will be continued but with a greater emphasis on the implementation of interventions that aim to improve medicines management in primary care. We plan to do this through further development and evaluation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interventions in the form of computer-based clinical decisions support systems (CDSSs) that enhance medicine management for acute and chronic illness. Evaluation will be conducted by means of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) with particular focus on integrated CDSS. Identification and follow up of patients will be through Health Intelligence Unit (HIU) information systems and the Irish Primary Care Research Network (IPCRN). The following is an overview of the activity in WP1:

  1. Medicines reconciliation at the primary/secondary care interface
  2. Observational epidemiology of safe prescribing
      2.1 The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the CPCR cohort
      2.2 The Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme and the Enhanced Prescribing database
  3. Implementing safe and cost effective medicines through the implementation of a cluster RCT