Devolving of statin prescribing to general practitioners for HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy

Serious adverse events and medication errors are common in clinical practice and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Management of HIV-positive patients is likely to become more complex as people age, developing multiple medical conditions and thus requiring polypharmacy. We undertook a casenote review and interview of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to audit the safety of devolving statin prescribing to general practitioners (GPs). Of 26 patients only 50% had their statin prescribing successfully been devolved to GPs. Many experienced significant difficulties and two of 26 (8%) were switched to simvastatin while receiving a protease inhibitor. We demonstrate that prescribing ART and non-ART medication by different practitioners on different sites can potentially expose patients to serious life-threatening adverse events. We make recommendations to minimize these risks and suggest that care pathways are reviewed to ensure they remain both convenient and user-friendly without compromising patient safety.