![]() Page two asked the user to select their patient's current PD medication using a drop-down menu. ![]() Page one contained a brief explanation of the purpose of the calculator and prompted the user to click a disclaimer to proceed. Computer science expertise was sought to enable the development of a bespoke calculator, informed by the needs of practising PD clinicians. The calculator itself was designed to be simple and intuitive. As such, it was agreed that the calculator would instead be based on the trust intranet, as well as the internet ( ). Secondly, regular updates would be needed to keep pace with updates of smartphone operating system software, which would prove costly and time consuming. Firstly, mobile phone reception is often suboptimal within hospital buildings, which may adversely affect usability. Subsequent discussion highlighted a number of difficulties with this approach. Initially, it was proposed that we would develop an application for use on internet-enabled smartphones. ![]() In this article, we describe the development of an innovative, online PD medication calculator to assist with conversion of a patient's PD medication to a non-oral form.įunding for the development of our online PD medication calculator came from the NHCT PD service, who worked in collaboration with a computer scientist from Newcastle University to develop it. The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHCT) PD service (which covers a population of approximately 500,000 people across 10 inpatient sites) sought to develop a safer system to address this challenging area. It is recognised that junior doctors lack a detailed understanding about safe prescribing practice for PD medications 6 and that conversion of PD drugs to non-oral forms is a particularly challenging area. Outside these hours, however, there is potential for harm. 5 Within ‘daylight’ working hours, expert advice can usually be sought from local PD specialists. In such situations, appropriate conversion of PD medication to a non-oral form is essential. When PD patients are admitted to hospital, they may be made ‘nil by mouth’ (NBM) because of concerns about swallowing safety or in advance of a procedure. 3 Missing dopaminergic medications can precipitate neuroleptic malignant-like syndrome, which is potentially fatal. 2 As highlighted by a National Patient Safety Agency alert, sudden cessation of PD medications can be extremely dangerous. 1 It is recognised that control of PD often deteriorates in hospital because of incorrect medication administration. Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative condition with increasing prevalence.
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