Background NICE guidelines stress the importance of individualised anticipatory prescribing for people who are likely to need symptom control in the last days of life. A Community Palliative Care Drug Chart for the authorisation of individualised subcutaneous palliative care medication via injection or syringe pump was developed and introduced by a regional anticipatory prescribing working party. The chart does not use a proforma approach, which has been linked to over medication, but does incorporate guidance and is designed to cross settings.

Aim

• To evaluate whether the chart and guidance facilitates safe, appropriate and consistent anticipatory prescribing for patients 1 year after introduction.

• To identify any required chart adaptations and areas for education.

Methods The notes of 49 expected deaths from District Nurse caseloads were examined for the presence of a chart. 32 charts were reviewed to establish whether anticipatory prescribing complied with local guidelines and to record any themes from non-compliance. A survey of 20 local GPs was conducted.

Results 47 of the 49 expected deaths had a chart in place. For as required medication the percentage meeting the standards for choice of drug, dose and route were as follows: opioid (84%), antiemetic (97%), antisecretory (94%) and anxiolytic (94%). In 7 cases the range for opioid or midazolam in a syringe pump was greater than advised in guidelines. All GPs surveyed agreed that the chart facilitates safe and appropriate anticipatory prescribing.

Conclusion The chart and guidance facilitate safe, appropriate and consistent anticipatory prescribing for patients, resulting in improved compliance with standards when compared to a local audit from 2010. Changes to the chart and further education is needed in relation to syringe pump ranges and timing of authorisation. We have subsequently developed a new ‘intelligent’ protocol within the EMIS GP record to further enhance individualised anticipatory prescribing.