Primary-secondary care interface

Primary-secondary care interface

Community-based pharmacy services are covered in Chapter 14. However, good-quality clinical pharmacy does not begin and end at the traditional barriers between hospital and community practice. The overall aim of such services is to provide patients with a smooth transition as they move between the primary and secondary care sectors during admission to, or discharge from, hospital, a process often described as ‘seamless care’. The efficient and accurate transfer of information is an essential part of this process if unintended changes in medication are to be avoided. This needs to involve good communication links between other hospital colleagues, general practitioners and community pharmacists in addition to direct patient contact. Other clinical pharmacy services that can contribute to seamless care include patient follow-up and domiciliary visiting, coordinating appropriate use of compliance aids, the availability of telephone helplines for patients and the establishment of joint primary–secondary care treatment protocols managing intravenous medication at home, out-of-hours services and influenza pandemic planning.