Patient safety is being compromised in emergency departments (EDs) due to missed or delayed doses of life-saving medication for people with chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s and diabetes, a study by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has found.
According to the report, more than half (53.4%) of patients reliant on time critical medication (TCM) are not being identified promptly on arrival at EDs, and over two-thirds (68%) do not receive their medication on time.
The findings come from the first year of RCEM’s three-year Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), which is supported by Parkinson’s UK and Diabetes UK.
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The QIP seeks to improve the timely administration of medication in EDs across the UK, focusing particularly on drugs such as insulin and levodopa, used for managing diabetes and Parkinson’s respectively.
Dr Jonny Acheson, an emergency medicine consultant in Leicester who is leading the QIP and lives with Parkinson’s himself, said the findings should act as a ‘call to action’.
He added: ‘These medicines are critical to the quality of these patients’ lives and we have a duty of care to ensure that they receive them when they should.
‘Everyone has a role to play – paramedics and EM staff need to ask patients what medications they take, and likewise, people with Parkinson’s and insulin-treated diabetes need to tell staff they take a TCM and take their meds with them if they have to visit an A&E.’
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The QIP data was drawn from 136 EDs across the UK. In response, RCEM has issued a series of recommendations, including the need for:
- early identification of patients taking TCMs on arrival at ED;
- clear local governance around who is responsible for prescribing and administering these medications;
- systems that enable self-administration where appropriate.
Patient organisations have welcomed the spotlight on TCM management. Juliet Tizzard, director of external relations at Parkinson’s UK, said: ‘People with Parkinson’s are at risk of significant harm if they don’t receive their medication on time, every time, and so we are proud to support the college’s vital work in this field.
‘We have long called for people with Parkinson’s in hospital to get their medication on time but have found that over half don’t.’
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Helen O’Kelly, assistant director of services, communities and improvement at Diabetes UK, added: ‘It is encouraging to see that, in the first year of the Quality Improvement Programme, there has been a positive shift in improvements.
‘We look forward to seeing the results as the programme continues.’
