Hydroxychloroquine Monitoring Service

Introduction

The Hydroxychloroquine Monitoring Service has been set up to screen individuals for potential rare side effects or complications, related to the use of HCQ medication and the eye. This medication is primarily used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Malaria.

The service will be provided within Northamptonshire Optometry practices by suitably trained members of staff. The service will focus on annual screening for toxicity with 10% of cases that will be randomly selected for quality assurance. Co-morbidities will be actioned through other pathways and cases of positive Toxicity will be referred directly to ophthalmology. Clinical protocols will emphasise uniformity across primary care providers and be in line with community GP practices.

Eligibility

The proposed service aims to identify patients who:

- are over 18 years old

- will be taking the medication for a period of 5 years or more (HCQ) and 1 year for chloroquine

- are at high risk due to dosage or have been taking tamoxifen at 1 year

Delivering the Service

The service will manage referrals from a rheumatology acute trust and referrals from GP services. Practitioners will require:

- a visual field machine to perform a 10-2 visuals fields test

- FAF (Fundus Auto Fluorescence) image and macular OCT imaging

- Snellen chart for VAs