Kandarp Thakkar

Contact Details

kandarp.thakkar@imperial.nhs.uk

Background

After graduating from the London School of Pharmacy, Kandarp trained at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital before taking up a junior pharmacist post at Ealing Hospital. Kandarp joined Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHNT) as part of the first admissions pharmacy team in 2004 and took on the post of Lead Pharmacist Admissions in 2007. His specialist areas of clinical interest include acute and elderly medicine. Postgraduate education includes an MSc in qualitative research and a certificate in independent prescribing.

Publications

Thakkar K, Gilchrist M et al (2011). A quality improvement programme to increase compliance with an anti-inftive prescribing policy. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. dkr207 advance access 4th June 2011.
Thakkar K, Jani B. (2009). Pharmacist prescribing in an acute medical unit. Br J Clin Pharm. , 1 (8): 253-254.

Research Interests

Improving prescribing for the elderly
Antibiotic stewardship
Pharmacist independent prescribing and quality improvement

Kandarp is the project manager for various NIHR CLAHRC funded Improving Prescribing for the Elderly projects and also involved in a project examining anti-infective prescribing within ICHNT and Ealing Hospitals NHS Trust.

Current Research

Improving Prescribing for the Elderly (ImPE)

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common in the elderly - they are prescribed large numbers of medications (median 6 in a recent study) – with increased risk of due to multiple co-morbidities, reduced physiological reserves and altered drug handling. Common ADRs are falls, sedation, cognitive impairment which links the topic to major national agenda items such as falls, depression, and dementia. ADRs create health needs in primary and secondary care, for example, about 35% of hospital admissions of older people have inappropriate prescribing and in a third of these ADR is responsible for presentation, making ADRs one of the commonest problems in acute medicine.

Aims of the project:

To develop a medication review system based on a new evidence based tool (“STOPP” – Screening Tool of Older Persons potentially inappropriate Prescriptions) for routine use with elderly patients across all sectors of care including the acute setting in hospital, falls clinics and care homes. To pilot the use of the new medication review system to reduce inappropriate prescribing in the elderly
To increase knowledge and confidence amongst staff in carrying out medication review through awareness and education
To provide patients with better information about their medicines