Want to go to China? : 10/12/2009 :

Beijing and Shanghai from 28 April to 7 May 2010 and will feature a range of expert speakers addressing issues of vital importance to pharmacists and the pharmacy profession.

Conference Chairman Warwick Plunkett said the venue for the 2010 conference was particularly exciting.

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Galaxy poll confirms public confidence in pharmacists : 10/12/2009 :

A new Galaxy poll, commissioned by the Pharmacy Guild, has found that 62% of people have sought information about medicines or the treatment of a minor illness from a pharmacist in the past 12 months. 85% of those surveyed had sought information from a doctor.

Questions about community pharmacy, medicines and minor illnesses were put to 1052 respondents aged 18 years and older, distributed throughout Australia on the weekend of 4-6 December.

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MIMS December 2009 Prescribing Update : 10/12/2009 :

The MIMS December 2009  prescribing update is now available. Click the link to read it now.

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DAAs very much part of the community pharmacy package : 10/12/2009 :

This week's poll asked 'listers to tell us how many patients they have who receive their medications in dose administration aids (eg Websterpacks) they pack for them.

We have to say we're slightly surprised by the result, which suggests that the 'average' is something above 50 per pharmacy, more than we were expecting.

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Poll: how many patients get DAAs from your pharmacy each week? : 09/12/2009 :

Dose administration aids (eg Websterpacks) are now an integral part of most community pharmacies (we think). Let's see if we can find out what proportion of pharmacies offer a DAA service.

For how many patients does your pharmacy fill DAAs each week?

Please let us know by voting in this week's poll below.

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Managing urinary incontinence in primary care : 09/12/2009 :

Urinary incontinence is often underreported - to assist health professionals to identify and manage patients with incontinence (or who are at risk of developing incontinence), the National Prescribing Service (NPS) has developed a new program, Managing urinary incontinence in primary care.
 
“People are often reluctant to talk about incontinence because they may feel embarrassed. Some think it is a normal part of ageing or the childbirth process and therefore don’t think it useful to discuss incontinence with their doctor,” NPS clinical adviser, Judith Mackson said.

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APC’s accreditation committee needs a new member : 09/12/2009 :

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) recently announced that it had been appointed to accredit pharmacy schools, evaluate and accredit Intern Training Program (ITP) providers and authorise organisations to accredit continuing professional development (CPD).

The Council is now seeking a new member to fill a vacancy on its accreditation committee.

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Guild to host Pharmacy Practice Research Summit : 09/12/2009 :

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia will host the Pharmacy Practice Research Summit from 2 – 4 March 2010.

The purpose of the Summit is to communicate the achievements and key findings of the research generated from the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement Research and Development Program (R&D Program).

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PSA rural special interest group gains strength : 08/12/2009 :

PSA has invited members working in rural or remote areas and those interested in rural pharmacy to join the Society’s Rural Special Interest Group (SIG) (at no extra charge).

The Rural SIG provides specially targeted support to Members who are practising in rural and remote areas of Australia and also acts as an advocate for pharmacists in regional and rural health. The web-based forum, where Rural SIG members can interact with their peers on rural, regional and remote issues, can be accessed at www.psa.org.au/rural.

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Webstercare December Newsletter : 08/12/2009 :

Every second month our friends at Webstercare produce a newsletter that is distributed to all aged care homes throughout Australia.

This festive season’s edition contains:

• eWebstercare: With Webstercare’s new technology, time spent faxing to your pharmacy can be reduced and soon it can be eliminated altogether
• Essential Tremor: December’s Continuing Education series explores this common movement disorder
• Webstercare’s Annual Christmas Pantomime: Webstercare saves an Aged Care Home from the clutches of Sherlock Holmes’ arch enemy
• Concertina Technology: A new development that provides the easy way to prepare and administer medication

Click here to download the Webstercare December 2009 newsletter in full (2.8mg pdf). Click here if you have any feedback, suggestions or queries about the newsletter.

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Board published responses to consultation paper : 08/12/2009 :

On October 27, the Pharmacy Board of Australia published a Consultation Paper on Registration Standards and Related Matters and invited feedback on the paper by November 24.

The Board has now published on its new website 28 responses to its call. All of the major pharmacy groups are represented and there are a number of submissions from individual pharmacists as well.

Take a look here.

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Pharmacists have key role in reducing prescription errors : 07/12/2009 :

Responding to research published last week showing that nearly 1 in 10 hospital prescriptions contains an error, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has issued a statement highlighting the role of the pharmacist in clinical teams.

According to the RPSGB's Director of Policy and Communications David Pruce, “This research will be of no surprise to pharmacists and highlights the vital role they play in ensuring patient safety. Pharmacists spot and correct prescribing errors on a daily basis."

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Australian Pharmacy Council to grow membership : 07/12/2009 :

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is the association of pharmacy registering authorities of Australia and New Zealand. In the lead up to the commencement of national registration for pharmacists on July 1, 2010, it has been assigned the accreditation function for pharmacy.

Specifically, APC will evaluate and accredit pharmacy schools, evaluate and accredit Intern Training Program (ITP) providers and authorise organisations to accredit continuing professional development (CPD).

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Summer edition Bulletin Board now out : 07/12/2009 :

The summer edition of the Medicare Australia Bulletin Board was published on the Medicare website on Friday.

It is the first 'electronic only' copy  - Medicare will no longer be producing a hard copy of the Bulletin Board for mailing out to pharmacists.

Click here to download a copy.

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New quit resource : 07/12/2009 :

GSK has launched a new website designed to assist smokers choose the most appropriate quit aid.

The website, which went 'live' yesterday, is supported by in store resources, including a 'diagnostic wheel'.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Anaphylaxis with iodinated contrast media : 07/12/2009 :

" In excess of 70 million injections of iodinated contrast media are administered per year around the world. This approach is a diagnostic aid that has revolutionised clinical practice since its introduction in the 1950’s. Although generally considered relative safe, there is a possibility of adverse effects in the form of allergy like reactions in exposed patients."

Click here to read this E-Bulletin in full. The E-Bulletins are archived on the AusPharmList website here.

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GPs prescribe 1.06 medications per patient visit : 04/12/2009 :

Data released this week from the General Practice activity in Australia 2008-09 report showed that in the period covered by the report (4/08 - 3/09) for 100 ‘average’ GP–patient encounters, a GP ordered 106 medications.

Of these  81% were prescribed, 10% were supplied to the patient by the GP and 8% were recommended by the GP for purchase over the counter.

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New resources to help address pain management issues : 04/12/2009 :

A new pain management diary has been developed by Arthritis NSW and the National Prescribing Service (NPS) to help healthcare providers work with patients to determine optimum pain management plans.

NPS and Arthritis NSW are encouraging pharmacists and other health professionals to promote the diary to patients. It records the necessary information needed to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment regimen.

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ACCC signs off on new MA Code of Conduct : 04/12/2009 :

The ACCC announced yesterday that it had approved Medicines Australia's new Code of Conduct.

The Code sets standards for the marketing and promotion of prescription pharmaceutical products in Australia.

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Poll result: what's happened to Zoton in your pharmacy? : 04/12/2009 :

This week's AusPharm poll had a go at determining what impact the introduction of the Fastab formulation has had on total Zoton throughput in community pharmacy.

Quite a lot if the results (n=88) shown in the graph are correct across the entire community pharmacy sector.

Whether this will produce a better outcome for Wyeth than if they'd done nothing (leading up to the introduction of generic versions of lansoprazole) we can't yet say.

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