My Medication Passport

Project summary

Background

Communication about medicines needs to improve between medical professionals from different disciplines, and between professionals and patients/carers. There is evidence that gaps in communications and incomplete documentation, particularly concerning the elderly and medicines at discharge from the hospital, contribute to readmission to hospital. Closing this gap is likely to result in health benefits through a reduction in avoidable problems due to medication use.

The objective of this work, supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) Northwest London, was to develop and evaluate a passport-sized booklet, designed by patients, for patients to record details about their medicines. The resulting aide-memoire pocket booklet, known as My Medication Passport, was launched in April 2013. Results from an evaluation of the booklet are summarised below.

Evaluation Outcomes

• An evaluation focused on more than 200 patients who had been given a passport as part of the improvement project at one of four sites (three hospital-based, and one community-based).
• Of the 133 patients who responded, more than half of respondents found their medication passport useful or helpful in some way; 42% through sharing details from it with others (most frequently family, carer or doctor), or using it as a platform for healthcare professionals; one-third of those questioned carried the passport with them at all times.

Further Work

• Since its launch, 130,000 booklets have been ordered by pharmacies, hospitals, charities, GP practices, nursing homes and by patients across England and in Scotland.
• A mobile app was also produced, which has been downloaded over 5,000 times for iPhone and over 4,200 times on the Android platform in at least 37 different countries.
• My Medication Passport was used as a good practice example in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Keeping Patients Safe’ report on ensuring accurate medication management when patients transfer between care providers.

Outputs

1. Barber S, Thakkar K, Marvin V, et al. Evaluation of My Medication Passport: a patient-completed aide memoir designed by patients, for patients, to help towards medicines optimisation. BMJ Open 2014;4:e005608. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005608