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Enrolling by invitation NCT05133700

Use and Opinions of Care Home Medicines Audit Tools

Observational Medication Systems Quality Improvement

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Interview or focus group discussion, Review of submitted medicines audit tools.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Medication Systems, Quality Improvement. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
United Kingdom
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Official title

Use and Opinions' Concerning Medicines Related Errors, Monitoring and Audit Tools Used to Assess Medicines Optimisation Within Care Homes in England

Overview

To describe the barriers and facilitators experienced by residents, health and social care staff, commissioners and regulators when managing medicines within care homes.

Detailed description

The prescribing of medicines is the most frequent health intervention in England. The administration or omission of medicines is not without risk and incidents involving medicines occur. The frequency of prescribing medicines increases with age and frailty. People living in care homes (with and without nursing) are generally older and more frail than similar groups in the community. Therefore, care homes and their staff need to be proficient and safe when administering medicines.

However, an under investigated area of prescribed medicines is the views of people living in care homes, health and social care staff, commissioners and regulator about managing medicines in care homes.

During the study a series of semi-structured interviews and focus groups will be undertaken. These focus groups will be held with people living in care homes (with and without nursing). Further interviews and focus groups will be held with health and social care staff, commissioners and regulators.

Care homes will be invited to provide copies of their current medicines monitoring tool. In addition, services supporting care homes including community pharmacies will also be invited to provide copies of their current medicines monitoring tools.

Analysis of conversations and monitoring tools made available to the study team will be undertaken and compared to published literature including grey literature.

Interventions

  • Other Interview or focus group discussion
    There is no intervention. This is a qualitative piece of work only
  • Other Review of submitted medicines audit tools
    There is no intervention. This is a qualitative piece of work only

Primary outcome measures

  • Barriers and facilitators: qualitative semi-structured individual interviews [Time frame: 0 to 9 months]
  • Barriers and facilitators: qualitative semi-structured focus groups [Time frame: 0 to 9 months]
  • Similarities and differences: current medicines monitoring tools [Time frame: 9 to 12 months]
  • Qualitative comparative analysis [Time frame: 9 to 12 months]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • Care homes
  • within pre-agreed areas,
  • registered with the regulator (CQC) for the regulated activities of Residential Care (with or without nursing) that have consented to participate.
  • Theses care homes will also be registered for one or more of the following specialisms:
  • dementia,
  • mental health conditions,
  • physical disabilities,
  • sensory impairments,
  • caring for adults under 65 years
  • caring for adults over 65 years.
  • Residents who have capacity and an adequate understanding of written and verbal English to consent and participate of participating care homes.
  • Care home staff, including registered managers who have an adequate understanding of written and verbal English to consent and participate of participating care homes.
  • Visiting health and social care staff who support care homes in the study locality.
  • Commissioner and regulatory staff with oversight of care homes in the study locality.
  • Medicines monitoring tools used by participating
  • care homes,
  • community pharmacies supporting the participating care homes
  • commissioners and regulators with oversight of care homes in the study locality.

Exclusion criteria

  • Care homes registered with the regulator (CQC)
  • outside of the pre-agreed areas.
  • Care homes registered with the regulator (CQC)
  • within the pre-agreed areas for the regulated activities of Residential Care (with or without nursing) that are also registered for the specialism of supporting younger people.
  • Residents of participating care homes judged by staff to lack capacity, an adequate understanding of written and verbal English to consent and participate, too unwell or might find it distressing.
  • Staff in participating care homes who lack an adequate understanding of written and verbal English to consent and participate.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Study design

Observational model
Other

Study locations

United Kingdom · 1 center
  • University of Central Lancashire — Preston

Identifiers

NCT: NCT05133700 · HEALTH 0228CA · 280907 · 21/IEC08/0015

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗