This was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

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How patients use medicines over time

Medicines optimisation helps the right patients to get the right medicines at the right time. It examines how patients may stop or start their medicines, how they use them over time and how lifestyle changes or non-medical therapies might reduce the need for medicines.

This approach helps patients get the best outcomes from their medicines, and pharmacists across the NHS play a crucial role in supporting it.

By focusing on patients and their experiences, medicines optimisation helps patients to:

• Improve their outcomes
• Take their medicines correctly
• Avoid taking unnecessary medicines
• Reduce wastage of medicines and improve medicines safety.

Ultimately, medicines optimisation encourages patients to take ownership of their treatment.

Unlike medicines’ management, it focuses on outcomes and patients rather than process and systems. This focus on improved outcomes for patients helps ensure that patients and the NHS get better value from the investment in medicines.

Download our good practice guidance document on medicines optimisation Helping patients make the most of their medicines.

Medicines optimisation: what does it mean for me?

• Community pharmacy
• Hospital pharmacy
• Primary care
• Industrial pharmacy
• Managing medicines for adults receiving social care in the community

Medicines optimisation in practice

Further information

• Medicines optimisation quality standard – NICE
• NICE guidance NG5: Medicines optimisation: the safe and effective use of medicines to enable the best possible outcomes
• NHS RightCare
• Patient information sheet
• Member briefing on items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care consultation

Frailty and care of the elderly

• The British Geriatric Society (BGS) – Briefing on Joining the dots: A blueprint for preventing and managing frailty in older people
• Medicines and Falls – information and guidance on medication review for people at risk of falls (17 October 2023)

Atrial fibrillation (AF)

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation to improve management of atrial fibrillation?

Depression

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation for patients with depression?

Acute kidney injury (AKI)

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation to prevent acute kidney injury?

Cardiovascular disease

• ‘How you can encourage medicines optimisation in cardiovascular disease’ – The Pharmaceutical Journal

Diabetes

• ‘How you can encourage medicines optimisation in type 2 diabetes’ – The Pharmaceutical Journal

Learning disabilites

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation for people with a learning disability?

Dementia

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation to improve the lives of people living with dementia?

Epilepsy

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation for patients with epilepsy?

Rheumatoid arthritis

• How can you encourage medicines optimisation for patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

Schizophrenia

• How you can encourage medicines optimisation in schizophreni­a – The Pharmaceutical Journal