High Cost Medication Information Poster Hilary Oldham, Joan Karasu, Emma Lowe, Sharon Platt Clinical service technicians, Pharmacy Department, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Introduction Method A short questionnaire was distributed to a complete nursing shift on each of our main in-patient wards (a total of 18 nurses), in order to gain an insight as to whether the ward staff would find such information regarding high cost medication helpful. The clinical technicians analysed, discussed and identified the most commonly used high cost medicines on the wards within our Trust. A laminated A4 information poster of commonly prescribed high cost medication in the Trust was produced, following infection control protocol and using current and accurate information from the BNF. This poster was displayed in the treatment areas on the main in-patient wards. A second short questionnaire was then distributed to a complete nursing shift on each of our main in-patient wards (a total of 18 nurses), to see if the nursing staff had found the poster useful. Due to the specialist nature of the Trust the usage of high cost medication is a routine and regular occurrence. The main aim of this service evaluation is to increase ward staff knowledge and awareness of high value medication used within the Trust. This will hopefully impact on the wastage and cost savings as staff may be more vigilant when prescribing, reviewing, storing, reconstituting and administering such medication. Results/Discussion For the initial questionnaire; 44% of nurses questioned said that they were aware of which high cost medication is used on the ward; 78% of nurses asked said they would find it useful to know which drugs are high cost and the cost involved; 11% said they would not treat the medication differently (few comments about treating all medication the same); and 28% felt that there was some wastage of drugs on the ward. Following the display of the poster on the wards, final questionnaire showed that; 75% said that they Comments from the nursing staff on the wards included; “this would prompt me to ask the prescriber to review a high cost medication”, “I will be more vigilant to get the stock back from other wards when they borrow it”, “I was shocked by how much some of these medications actually cost”, “I think this would be more appropriate in the prescribers office”. The poster allows the nursing staff to be more proactive regarding course length, review dates set and changes from IV to oral medication as soon as appropriate. It also allows the staff to determine the most economical combinations of strengths to provide the dose required. For example, rasburicase; for a dose of 12mg, using a 7.5mg vial and three 1.5mg vials is significantly cheaper than using two 7.5mg vials over a course of 5 days. Staff found that the poster was informative but didn’t realise quite how much the high cost items were and the cost implications of failing to review such medications in a timely manner. Although one dose extra in itself would not seem excessively expensive, mirrored throughout the Trust over a period of 12 months, this can mount up with the sheer volume prescribed. Due to the regular use of some of these medicines there was a degree of complacency without regard for cost. Feedback from the staff suggested that it would be useful to have a second poster displayed in the medical prescriber’s office to aid increase awareness of cost implications. The poster will require annual review to update. Conclusion References 1. Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary (online) London: BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press [Accessed on 7/04/13] Date of preparation: 23/09/13 found the poster informative; 88% said they were unaware of the actual cost; 50% said that knowing this information would have an impact on their current practice. Initial Feedback Feedback after the poster