The feature articles below are "opinion" pieces and reflect the views of the individual authors. They are not the views of AusPharm.net.au P/L, its directors or editorial group unless explicitly stated to be so.

Management of alcohol use disorders (Part two) :: Chris Alderman : 17/6/2013 :

This article follows on from Management of alcohol use disorders (Part one)  , published at the end of April.

Various instruments have been developed to assist in the process of screening for risky alcohol consumption patterns and to facilitate appropriate interventions in various settings. One widely used tool is called the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), which is thought to be one of the most sensitive of the currently available screening instruments. Supplementary information might be gathered in the form of tests for end organ damage – e.g. elevated liver function tests.    More...

Pharmacy Needs to Have a Seminal Role in Childhood Immunisation Policy :: Stephen G. Greenwood : 13/6/2013 : The news from the National Health Performance Authority in April 2013 that more than 70,000 Australian children are not fully immunised should alarm the Federal and State Governments and all health professionals throughout Australia.

While the World Health Organisation considers that vaccination and immunisation programs are an ‘integral part of communicable disease control’ it has become obvious that new approaches are needed to ensure that Australia’s children are immunised and that existing childhood health policies deliver much better outcomes.   More...

Getting Fitted Out :: Mark Nicholson : 6/6/2013 :

In today's AusPharm feature article, JR Pharmacy Service's Mark Nicholson discusses some of the the do's and dont's when refitting your pharmacy.

For many owners the necessary response to the ongoing challenges facing pharmacy (eg deliver services and engage the customer) will be to refit the pharmacy, join a Brand or do both.

The fitout objective of course is to attract more customers, have them use all parts of the store, increase their spend and return more often.   More...

Cough and cold products for children :: PSA National President Grant Kardachi : 4/6/2013 : The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s changes to the sale of coughs and cold medicines have caused some degree of confusion within the pharmacy profession, and indeed the wider health profession sector generally.

The changes followed a detailed review of the use of cough and cold medicines in children by the TGA, following which a number of changes have been made to the way such medicines can be sold.

Among these changes is that a number of cough and cold medicines are not recommended for children under 6 years of age.  The recommendations state also that cough and cold medicines should only be given to children aged 6 to 11 years on the advice of a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner.   More...

We must work together to take charge of our own destiny, because no one else will :: Executive Director of the Pharmacy Guild: David Quilty : 28/5/2013 : Sometimes it takes a set of really big numbers to focus the mind.

For community pharmacy, this year’s Federal Budget week provided such an occasion.  

The four-year forward estimates for pharmaceutical expenditures were reduced by a further $2.5 billion on top of the $1.6 billion reduction in last year’s budget.   More...

Save for the four P’s :: Norman Thurecht : 23/5/2013 :

In today's AusPharm feature JR Pharmacy's Norman Thurecht talks about how pharmacies need to change their focus from 'product, place, price and promotion' to 'Solutions, Access, Value and Education'.

"For retailers the four P’s represent the product, place, price and promotion. These concepts have served retailers well in their pursuit of selling more to the same or new customers. However, modern retail thought leadership suggests that the focus should change from products to Solutions, place to Access, price to Value and promotion to Education. The four P’s are morphing into a concept known as SAVE."   More...

Investing in our future :: Justin Lee : 21/5/2013 : Will I have enough money to live comfortably after I retire? No, this is not a promo for a superannuation fund or investment firm.

Our post-working life and mortality are not questions we often want to face, especially when we are in the prime of our lives. When asked, most young pharmacists reveal their preoccupation with their current situation in life; job stability and career progression weigh heavily on their minds. This is, of course, understandable. Why think about crossing a bridge that is nowhere in sight? Yet, the current financial climate demands that we plan well ahead if we want to be able to enjoy the fruits of our many years of labour.   More...

Pharmacy’s Reputation and Public Support A Must In Influencing Government :: Stephen G. Greenwood : 13/5/2013 : You can spend a lifetime building up a reputation for integrity only to have it dashed by scandal or a betrayal of trust. Just ask Julia Gillard whose reputation is now so tarnished and her series of policy back flips so stunning that people now don’t believe a word which emanates from her or her office. Was there ever an Australian leader less trusted by the public? A local radio station the other day aired listeners referring to 14 September, Election Day as ‘Clean Up Australia Day’. Enough said.

While the Prime Minister’s problem with the truth is not a new issue it remains ever present as we approach the Budget. For there she was the other day saying that in spite of her myriad of financial undertakings to the contrary that she would deliver a surplus, new advice from Treasury now says the opposite will occur and a whopping great big deficit of over $12 billion is the only responsible course. If the facts change just change the narrative.   More...

Mrs B taught me a lot that day :: Chris Alderman : 9/5/2013 : AusPharm's recent call for 'listers to send along their accounts of situations where pharmacists have used their diverse skill set to produce a positive patient outcome provoked several submissions.

Today's vignette is from Dr Chris Alderman.

When I met her some 20 years ago, Mrs B was a lady in her mid-seventies who despite her otherwise reasonable health, had smoked as a younger woman and was left with a legacy of significant emphysema. She had been admitted under the respiratory unit of the hospital, where at that time I was working as a clinical pharmacist.    More...

What's in a name? :: David Haworth : 8/5/2013 : Earlier this week, in light of recent AusPharmList posts on pharmacy names, David Haworth reminded us of an article he wrote on just that back in 2009. He suggested we dust it off and give it another run. Great idea David - here it is.

A new art form has evolved as pharmacies clamour to raise themselves above the rest of the pack.

Traditional naming protocols are giving way to inventive and emotive signage. Clever, punchy or just plain wacky pharmacy names are being dreamed up to grab the consumers attention and lure them into the modern, well designed premises.   More...

MoU not just a feel-good exercise :: PSA National President Grant Kardachi : 7/5/2013 : PSA’s commitment to furthering stakeholder engagement and collaboration with other health professionals took  another step forwards recently in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the  Society  and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

This MoU further strengthens existing collaborative efforts between the two organisations, while also laying the groundwork for further cooperative endeavours.   More...

Management of alcohol use disorders (Part One) :: Chris Alderman : 30/4/2013 :

Alcohol is a commonly used social drug, enjoyed in moderation by many without causing specific medical or psychiatric problems. Along with nicotine, alcohol consumed in various forms is one of the most widely used substances around the world, and consumption is a part of everyday social rituals in some cultures. Relative to the cost of other substances, alcohol is relatively affordable, although excise tax and other governmental charges are often a large component of the retail cost of purchasing alcoholic beverages.

Although fine wines and other alcoholic drinks bring a great deal of pleasure to many people, it is important to remember that alcohol exerts a range of physiological effects on the brain that are reflected in behavioural phenomena.   More...

“All Trials” Campaign worthy of Aussie pharmacists’ support :: Ian Carr : 26/4/2013 : Firstly, let me introduce myself to the AusPharm readership. A practising community Pharmacist since 1979, I have taken a special interest in the Skeptic movement, critical thinking and Evidence Based Medicine, and have attempted to incorporate these ideals and principles into my practice.

Some years ago, I came across the writings of Dr Ben Goldacre, a UK GP whose column “Bad Science” in the Guardian newspaper (readily accessed online) delivers witty skewerings of such well-deserved targets as homoeopathy, chiropractic, “Brain Gym”, vaccine and fluoridation fearmongers and many more.   More...

Need more sleep? You must be dreaming :: John Bell : 26/4/2013 : As 'listers who have been with us for a while will know, each month our friends at Self Care provide us with a copy of John Bell's feature article that runs each month in the Self Care InPHARMation magazine.

The April issue featured an article on sleep.

However long we sleep, we’re probably never satisfied. For some of us getting to sleep and/or staying asleep is a major problem and as a consequence we’re dopey and drowsy all day. For others, sleep appears to be just an inconvenient impediment to being able to complete the necessary activities of the day.    More...

Unity of purpose and professional pride :: John Bronger : 23/4/2013 : The recent announcement that Kos Sclavos will step down from the presidency of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in October came as a surprise and his contribution to community pharmacy should be justifiably recognised. But there’s plenty of time for that. Right now I’m more interested in what this changing dynamic in pharmacy leadership means to the Guild’s approach towards representing the interests of its members and community pharmacy more generally.

Kos has been at the apex of all Guild decision-making since he won its presidency almost eight years ago. Renowned for his energy and ability to put in the long hours, he has been the driving force behind the Guild’s policies and took a hands-on approach to managing and negotiating its relationships.   More...

Leet tips for internship seekers :: Wendy Morton : 18/4/2013 : About eight years ago, a very frustrated fellow seeking a position as a pre-registrant pharmacist posted on AusPharmList to express his exasperation "...for 6 weeks I have been  circulating my C.V. and no response..."

Now, I haven't always been a pharmacist, and if there's one skill-set you get the chance to polish to a high sheen working as a Medical Detailer and a Real Estate Agent before you sign up as a mature-aged student to study Pharmacy, it's how to network effectively  and how to get your foot in a door.   More...

Freeman’s HMR model should be admired and supported :: PSA National President Grant Kardachi : 16/4/2013 : The resolution of the HMR issue for the time being has certainly eased the concerns of many pharmacists and consumers.

However, there is still a tendency in some quarters to lay all blame for the problem on to the direct referral system without actually examining the facts closely. In fact, official figures show that of the identified rorting of the system, some 50% of reviews were being done in pharmacies and 50% in clinics.  Of course, operating outside the business rules with the sole aim to increase profit is unacceptable and at PSA we are committed to stamping out any abuse of the program.

Having said that, we do not want to throw the baby out with the bath water as seems to be the intent of some who seek to brand all direct referral HMRs as inappropriate.   More...

All pharmacists do is stick labels on boxes :: Terry Irvine : 15/4/2013 : AusPharm's recent call for 'listers to send along their accounts of situations where pharmacists have used their diverse skill set to produce a positive patient outcome provoked several submissions.

Today's vignette is from Terry Irvine.

Around the turn of the century, I was working in a pharmacy in a regional city in NSW. One day a gentleman presented a bundle of prescriptions with the request that I provide him with information on what had been prescribed, what the medicine was for, and when he was to take it, in a concise schedule form. This was before there were computer programs to easily produce such a schedule so I entered all the information in an Excel spreadsheet. 

Most of the medicines were straight forward and easily explained, but when I got to the last item, I explained that was for his diabetes.    More...

Psychiatric illness, psychotropics, and assessing fitness to drive :: Chris Alderman : 11/4/2013 :

Recent statistics confirm that over 1300 people are killed in road traffic accidents in Australia each year, in addition to a further 32,000 people who are seriously injured. Ways to address this pressing issue include overhauling road traffic legislation, public awareness initiatives, improved driving training, creating and maintaining better roads, and other approaches.

One aspect that is perhaps not as visible on the agenda is the process whereby it is determined that an individual is indeed fit to drive a personal or commercial vehicle – a driver who is not fit to do so is at risk themselves and also represents a risk to other road users. This issue is specifically addressed in guidance published by Austroads and the National Transport Commission, in a resource entitled Assessing fitness to drive for commercial and private vehicle drivers.   More...

Why Owning A Pharmacy Is Really Not That Great An Idea :: Veronica Nou : 9/4/2013 : There’s always been a lot of appeal attached to the idea of owning your own pharmacy. Indeed for many pharmacists it’s a kind of penultimate goal, and even at a time when the pharmacy industry is arguably at its worst, somehow the supply/demand ratio for pharmacy ownership remains staggeringly high.
 
But what happens when you get on the other side?

With my masticatory muscles embedded firmly in the buccal cavity to the left, let me explain why it is that owning a pharmacy is totally for suckers.   More...

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