Veterans' MATES project extended
The Veterans’ Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services (MATES) project, run by the Sansom Institute’s Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre (QUMPRC) for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, has been extended for a further two years.
It brings the total value of the project to more than $10 million over five years.
Now in its fourth year, the Veterans’ MATES Project has been improving the health care of veterans by simultaneously feeding back to GPs, pharmacists and the veterans themselves information about the quality use of medicines, quality prescribing and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in older people.
The information is based on the quarterly analysis of the extensive DVA claims database on health services and medicines use by veterans in Australia and the latest, highest quality literature and evidence-based clinical practice. The analysis identifies veterans’ use of medicines and health care services, including hospitalisations for certain conditions, and tracks the effects of the education and feedback interventions.
Changes in medication use and Home Medicine Review rates indicate the success of the program. A summary of the impact of certain modules include:
- Home Medicines Review rates increased by approximately four fold in targeted veterans
- beta-blocker use increased by 29 per cent in veterans taking medicines indicative of heart failure
- in veterans taking medicines indicative of diabetes, the rate of use of lipid lowering therapy increased by 16 per cent and antiplatelet therapy by 15 per cent
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use reduced by 44 per cent both in veterans dispensed medicines for diabetes and those dispensed medicines indicative of heart failure.
On average, 79 per cent and 80 per cent of GPs who respond report that the information in the therapeutic brief and the prescriber feedback material is useful or helpful respectively. More than 90 per cent of pharmacists who respond report the therapeutic brief to be useful. Veterans also find the material to be helpful with 80 per cent consistently reporting the educational brochure provided to be helpful. The module material also appears to encourage both GPs and veterans to consider changing their behaviour. On average, 67 per cent of GPs who respond indicate that at least one of their veteran patients would benefit from a review of their therapy.
The majority of veterans who respond indicate they will discuss their medicines with their doctor at their next visit.
Professor Andrew Gilbert and Associate Professor Libby Roughead lead the Veterans’ MATES Project team of UniSA research and professional staff, working in a consortium with the University of Adelaide’s Data Management and Analysis Centre and Discipline of General Practice, the Drugs and Therapeutics Information Service, the Australian Medicines Handbook, the Repatriation General Hospital and the National Prescribing Service.