The following support article will give an overview of the available Ardens resources to support Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.


Locating the Ardens Pharmacy Clinical Templates Folder

Ardens offers a variety of clinical templates to support all practice staff in capturing consistent accurate data. 


To locate the Ardens Pharmacy folder, open a new consultation and select the Run Template option (if not in consultations, click on the Add button on the EMIS ribbon, followed by Data Using Template option).

 

This will open the Template Picker screen. If you have accessed any templates before, these will display to the left of the screen. 

Search for the template you require by typing in the search box, alternatively select the Ardens > Consultation templates > Pharmacy or the Pharmacy - medication specific folder to the right of the screen which will then display all templates available within those folders.  Double click the required template to open.



Alternatively, templates can be launched by using an Ardens template launcher protocols, from the F12 key. For full details on how to set this up, please see this support article .


 The following Ardens Pharmacy templates are available in the Pharmacy folder: 

  • Anticoagulation (warfarin,DOAC) – detailed template for initiation and monitoring of patients requiring anticoagulation.
  • Covert Medication Administration – enables recording of relevant history and assessment and mental capacity. (Covert medication administration form document template available).
  • Drug Monitoring - enabling recording of data on initiation and monitoring of high risk drugs. Please note: this template is a smart working template.
  • DRUM Review – for dispensing practices recording a Dispensing Review Use of Medication.
  • Medication Safety Review – for use in conjunction with Ardens Prescribing Searches (searches currently on a request only basis).
  • Medicines Reconciliation - to help record the activity involved in the managing medication changes when patients are discharged from hospital or from out-patient letters.  This has been designed predominantly for use by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, but any clinician completing a medicines reconciliation task may find this useful. 
  • Pharmacist Review  – assists with capturing data around reason for the consultation as well as medication reviews and outcomes.
  • Pharmacy First Referral Service (protocol and template)  – providing criteria information and recording data gathering information (to be used in conjunction with the Community Pharmacy Consultation Referral document).
  • Pharmacy Technician Review  – aiding with recording medication and appliance reviews.
  • Structure Medication Review - a structured medication review is needed for certain groups of patients as a requirement for Network DES. This template enables accurate recording of the review. The template includes a page for a medication review, DRUM review, the multi-compartment assessment and STOMP. There is also a page to record general lifestyle information, management and a page providing the latest relevant blood results for the patient.


The following Ardens Pharmacy templates are available in the Pharmacy - medication specific folder: 

  • ADHD Medication Review - to support the clinician in reviewing the ADHD medication to ensure all prescribing considerations/monitoring/side effects and effectiveness have been considered and relevant patient counselling have been given. This can be used alongside the Ardens ADHD Review template.
  • Adrenaline Auto-Injectors – providing information around anaphylaxis and completing reviews for patients using AAI.
  • Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs template - aiding with recording details around history and lifestyle, associated risk with prescribing and information relating to withdrawal.
  • Bisphosphonates Initiation - to support the clinician when initiating a patient on a bisphosphonate to ensure prescribing considerations are considered, and relevant patient counselling have been given.  This can also be used to review patients who remain on bisphosphonates.  The Ardens letter – ‘Advice for Patients Taking Oral Bisphosphonates’ can also be given alongside completing this template to ensure patients have written information of the information given.
  • Controlled Drug Risk Assessment - to support the clinician on initiation and review of patients on controlled drugs to ensure that all prescribing considerations are considered before and on review of controlled drugs.  This will help to document that the relevant advice and risk assessments have been considered.  A prescribing alert is shown when a clinician adds a controlled drug asking if you would like to open up this template.
  • Corticosteroid Monitoring – ensuring details around initiation and monitoring are recorded accurately.
  • Lithium Review - to support the clinician in reviewing lithium medication to ensure all prescribing considerations/monitoring/side effects have been considered and relevant patient counselling have been given.
  • Metformin Initiation - to support the clinician when initiating a patient on metformin to ensure prescribing considerations are considered, and relevant patient counselling have been given.    
  • NSAID Risk Assessment - to support the clinician on initiation and review of patients on NSAIDs to ensure that all prescribing considerations are considered before and on review of NSAIDs.  This will help to document that the relevant advice and risk assessments have been considered.  A prescribing alert is shown when a clinician adds a NSAID asking if you would like to open up this template.
  • PPI Review - to support the clinician to review patients who are on PPIs to consider the indication and dosage for remaining on PPIs and to consider if this remains clinically relevant.  This will help document that a review of the PPI has been undertaken.
  •  SGLT-2 Inhibitor Initiation - to support the clinician when initiating a patient on an SGLT2i to ensure prescribing considerations are considered, and relevant patient counselling have been given.  This can also be used to review patients who remain on these. The Ardens letter – ‘Sodium-glucose Co-transporter 2 Inhibitors Letter to patient’ can also be given alongside completing this template to ensure patients have written information of the information given.
  • Urate Lowing Therapy Initiation - to support the clinician when initiating a patient on an Urate lowering therapy for gout to ensure prescribing considerations are considered, and relevant patient counselling have been given.  This can also be used to review patients who remain on these.  
  • Valproate Review - to support the clinician when reviewing a patient who is taking Valproate to ensure that the prescribing remains within the terms of the ‘Pregnancy Prevention Programme.’  It helps document the review and also highlights the need for the Annual risk acknowledgement form to be completed by the specialist.


Pharmacists will find the Ardens Diary Recall Template useful for recording ad-hoc recalls such as blood tests and injections.   More information on the Ardens Diary Recall System can be found here. 

 

Useful Ardens Searches for the Pharmacy Team

The following searches may be useful to support pharmacists in their role within the GP practice:

 

How to Identify and Action the Ardens Clinical Safety Alerts

Ardens includes many MHRA/NICE guidance clinical safety alerts, which are displayed in real time where a safety issue arises for the patient.  These are alerts work for all staff members and are triggered either at the point of adding a clinical code or adding or issuing medication.


Please see an example below of an Ardens Clinical Safety Alert (Alerts if monitoring needed when issuing Amiodarone):


For more information, please see our dedicated support article.


Ardens National Document Templates

Ardens includes many auto-populating standardised document templates for practices. Below are a couple of examples of documents that may be beneficial for pharmacists.


The Corticosteroid Monitoring document can be printed directly from a patients record if required.  Please note there is also a clinical safety alert that will display when adding steroid medication to the patients medication screen to inform that the patient may require a steroid card and give you the option to print at that time.



We have also provided a Structure Medication Review document which pharmacists may decide to use.

 

For more information on how locate and use the Ardens National Document Templates please see the dedicated support article. 

 

To access our recorded webinar for Pharmacists and Pharmacist Technicians please click here.

 

If you require any further assistance on the process above, please contact Ardens support on: support-emis@ardens.org.uk