Speaking at Hospital Pharmacy Europe’s Virtual Study Day on IV medicines safety, Dr Philip Barclay brought delegates up to speed on the transition to NRFit, with a focus on where we are now and what can be done to manage patient safety risks. Here, you have exclusive access to the session recording.
Efforts to reduce the risk of accidental wrong route administration of medication led to the development of a dedicated standard connector – known as NRFit – for procedures and medicines administration involving intrathecal and epidural routes.
A patient safety alert issued in January 2024 instructed all NHS organisations involved in intrathecal and epidural procedures and the delivery of regional blocks to complete the transition to using these safer NRFit connectors by 31 January 2025. Following that deadline, where are we now and what more needs to be done by the multidisciplinary team to ensure safety?
The four Ws of NRFit
Dr Philip Barclay is a consultant anaesthetist at West Middlesex University Hospital, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where he specialises in obstetric anaesthesia and was clinical director of anaesthetics from 2019 to 2024.
He is an elected board member of the Association of Anaesthetists and chair of its Safety Committee, as well as co-chair of the Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group (SALG), which reviews and analyses anaesthesia-related serious incidents from across the NHS that have been reported to the National Reporting and Learning System. He is also a co-editor of SALG’s Patient Safety Update and a member of its multidisciplinary Prefilled Syringes Taskforce.
In this fascinating and comprehensive session, Dr Barclay delves into the four Ws of NRFit. First, he sets the scene with discussions around the history of NRFit and who was involved, as well as why a change to NRFit was needed. He then turns his attention to where we are now and what can be done to manage patient safety risks.
Extend your learning on IV medicines safety and more
Watch more IV medicines safety Virtual Study Day sessions via our On-demand learning zone and watch this space as more Hospital Pharmacy Europe Virtual Study Days will be announced soon.
You can also find brand new interviews, case studies, research round-ups, news and much more content to inspire your practice in our medicines safety and pharmacy practice zones.
