Pharmacogenomic testing and antidepressant therapy | Right Decisions

Right Decisions
Antidepressants: Quality prescribing - a guide for improvement
Back
Target groups for review
Pharmacogenomic testing and antidepressant therapy

Please update your RDS mobile app to version 4.7.1

We are pleased to advise that deep linking capability, enabling users to directly download individual mobile toolkits, has now been released on the RDS mobile app. When you install the update, you will see that each toolkit has a small QR code icon the header area beside the search icon – see screenshot below. Clicking on this icon will open up a window with a full-size QR code and the alternative of a short URL for sharing with users. Instructions are provided.

You may need to actively install the update to install RDS app version 4.7.1 to see this improvement. Installing this update is also strongly recommended to get the full benefits of the new contingency arrangements – specifically, that if the RDS website should fail, you will still be able to download new mobile app toolkits.

To check your current RDS version, click on the three dots bottom right of the RDS app screen. This takes you to a “More” page where you will see the version number. To install latest updates:

On iPhones – go to the Apple store, click on your profile icon top right, scroll down to see the apps waiting to be updated and update the RDS app.

On Android phones – these can vary, but try going to the Google Play store, click on your profile icon top right, click on “Manage apps and device”, select and update the RDS app.

Please get in touch with ann.wales3@nhs.scot with any questions.

Pharmacogenomic testing has the potential to improve medicines optimisation by providing information on the individual’s response to treatment, improving effectiveness and safety of treatment by reducing the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). People have on average four gene variants that influence medication effectiveness and risk of ADRs, with 99% of individuals having at least one gene variant that affects drug metabolism. The use of pharmacogenomics to guide treatment choices could reduce the likelihood of medication related harm and improve patient outcomes from safer personalised medication regimes. Some studies have shown that this approach could be more cost effective, and that pharmacogenomics can be used to support antidepressant prescribing,¹³² however more evidence is needed together with a tested framework for implementation.