Audit cycle of the provision of compression garments on prescription.

The wearing of compression garments is an essential aspect of the management of lymphoedema. Patients however, do not always receive the requested garment on an NHS prescription from their general practitioner (GP). Through an audit cycle over 3 years, necessary changes in clinical practice were identified and introduced. The aim was to improve the number of patients obtaining the correct garment on an NHS prescription. The audit standard was not met in any of the audits and the conclusion made is that compression garments are difficult to find on NHS electronic prescribing systems leading to a delay in patients receiving their prescription and a risk of error due to the wide range of options available. Further work is necessary to ensure that electronic prescribing systems address the problem of product recognition for compression garments so that the process of obtaining compression garments is smooth, accurate and timely for patients and their GPs.