Main Category: Vascular
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 23 Aug 2009 - 0:00 PDT

The NPA has produced a guide to setting up a community pharmacy vascular risk assessment service and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for vascular risk assessment.

The NPA SOP "Vascular Risk Assessment" covers the measurement and assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in adults without previously diagnosed diabetes, existing cardiovascular disease (CVD), or lipid disorders. The "NPA guide to setting up a Community Pharmacy Vascular Risk Assessment Service" provides information on all aspects of a vascular risk assessment service, these include:

- Staff
- Premises
- Equipment
- Evaluation and audit
- Record Keeping
- Confidentiality
- Clinical governance
- Health and safety
- Waste
- Communication
- Marketing

The guide also includes a template letter to GPs and other local providers to let them know about the community pharmacy service.

Sarah Davies, NPA Information Pharmacist said: "Vascular diseases are the main cause of death, ill health and disability in the UK. One in every four men and one in every six women in the UK die from CVD and very year about 300,000 people have a heart attack. It is therefore right that community pharmacy is involved in improving patients' health to prevent vascular disease. These two NPA resources will help our members develop and put into practice a community pharmacy vascular risk assessment service."

The NPA SOP "Vascular Risk Assessment" and the "NPA guide to setting up a Community Pharmacy Vascular Risk Assessment Service" are available to download from http://www.npa.co.uk/members.

Source:
National Pharmacy Association