Bouw's back with a new robot : 02/03/2009 :

Former Willach Australia CEO Mark Bouw has introduced another pharmacy Robotic Dispensary System into Australia.

The first Australian Gollmann Robotic Dispensary System was recently installed into Lincoln Palmer's Health Focus Pharmacy in Geraldton, WA.

Gollmann Bouw will be showcasing their new system at APP in April and also have a purpose built showroom in Melbourne where pharmacists can have a look at the new system.

Poll: maximum number of scripts in a day : 02/03/2009 :

Last week, AusPharm overheard a colleague saying, "I got this locum job and it was mad-house. We did 1200 Rx in a day and that's my record. All I could do was scan the paper and the tablets."

What's your 'record', as the sole pharmacist on duty? Please let us know by ticking the relevant box in today's poll below - be quick as we're only going to run this poll for 24 hours - results tomorrow morning.

Indigenous pharmacy assistant traineeship scheme a winner : 26/02/2009 :

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacy Assistant Traineeship Scheme (ATSIPATS) aims to improve access to community pharmacy services by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by encouraging them to enter in to pharmacy assistant and technician roles.

Since the scheme was launched in late February 2008 there have been 27 traineeships approved. This represents a five-fold increase in the participation in pharmacy assistant training by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees compared to previous years.

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AusPharm thanks The Pharmacy Guild : 26/02/2009 :

After a relationship going back almost 10 years the Pharmacy Guild of Australia has ended its sponsorship of the AusPharm publications, including AusPharmList.

The Guild's support for AusPharm started as a means by which it could support an innovative service (AusPharmList) utilised by many of its members. It morphed over the years into a 'sponsorship' arrangement for all the websites and the AusPharm(e)news and, more recently, incorporated a bulk subscription for some Guild staff and elected officials.

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CMI poll result : 26/02/2009 :

This week's poll sought 'listers views on what they thought should happen with the provision of CMIs through pharmacy. As always, a number of possible interpretations of the results are possible.

Firstly, it seems clear that people don't think the status quo is acceptable (14%).

What are we to make of the 33% 'CMIs should be in the box' vote? Do these people not want to use the CMI as part of the counselling process? Should this 33% be added to the 6% who say 'it's all too hard - let's end it'?

We think the key point is made by the 49% who say a 'better' CMI is needed. What do you think? (Click the image to see the result in detail.)

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PHARMeFOOTY on again in 2009 : 25/02/2009 :

Australia’s only on-line AFL and NRL tipping competition for pharmacy, PHARMeFOOTY, starts again in March.

PHARMeFOOTY is a free, on-line tipping service sponsored by Fred Health and Medici Capital. Pharmacies and pharmacy students can compete in either AFL or NRL tipping, or both. Cash prizes of up to $5000 apply for the competition.

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Poll: CMIs, time for a new way? : 25/02/2009 :

'Listers will have seen our story yesterday on the latest criticism of the way pharmacy handles the provision of CMIs to consumers.

Irwin the evil chemist suggested that, given technological advances in recent times, perhaps the time has come to revisit the way CMI is provided to consumers and that, maybe, providing hard copy CMIs to consumers is a task pharmacy might well do without.

What do you think? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll below.

Benrimoj: there's more : 24/02/2009 :

Professor Charlie Benrimoj's comments while delivering the Neil Naismith  Memorial Lecture (that PSA should have a greater role to play in the CPA5 negotiations) have been widely reported in pharmacy media.

However, some other comments made by Professor Benrimoj during the lecture have not.

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More grief on CMIs : 24/02/2009 :

'Listers will be interested in the outcome of a study, published last week in the journal Pharmacy World & Science, that looked at how pharmacists perform on CMIs.

According to the authors, once again, pharmacists have been found wanting."

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Poll: who delivers the drugs? : 24/02/2009 :

Yesterday Michelle McAnuff raises the issue of insurance cover for pharmacy delivery vehicles, commenting that the insurance companies had various, not necessarily supportive, policies in place.

Who does the deliveries in your pharmacy? Please let us know by ticking the relevant box in today's AusPharm poll.

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Griffith Uni needs a hand (provided you're from Qld or Vic) : 23/02/2009 :

Griffith University's Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance are conducting research into pharmacists' experiences and perceptions around the rescheduling of pseudoephredrine based products, the impact it has had and seeking pharmacists' views about the partnership with police and Project STOP.

Community Pharmacists' in Queensland and Victoria are eligible to participate.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Mouth care : 23/02/2009 :

The topic of this week's RGH E-Bulletin is Mouth care.

"Stomatitis is defined as inflammation of the mouth and lips, while mucositis is inflammation of the entire oral cavity. Symptoms include painful mouth, loss of appetite and altered taste. These conditions may result from dry mouth (xerostomia), infection (e.g. oral thrush, herpes), radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and nutritional deficiency. Therapy
involves treating the underlying cause, and symptomatic management."

Click here to read the bulletin in full.

The E-Bulletin is archived and previous editions can be viewed on the AusPharm website here.

Poll result: 'free' advice in pharmacies : 23/02/2009 :

Last Friday's AusPharm poll asked 'listers whether they thought the pharmacy practice of dispensing 'free' health advice was sustainable

39% of respondents (n=102) thought that, regardless of sustainability issues, it was too late to change this entrenched habit. Of the rest twice as many (41%) think that the practice "needs to stop, we won't be able to afford to do this in the future" rather than "I'm happy with things as they are, all things considered we're well paid for what we do" (20%).

Click the image below to see a larger version.

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AusPharm CE: Vaginal thrush : 22/02/2009 :

Last Thursday we published the next  of our online CE activities for 2009, Vaginal thrush  .

It's been put together for us by Ella Jeffrey. Ella is a PhD Candidate, Unit for Medication Outcomes Research and Education (UMORE), School of Pharmacy, University of Tasmania.

"Vaginal discharge and the associated vulval itching are the most common reasons for a woman to seek gynaecological care. As with many genital-related conditions, vaginitis is a condition which causes considerable embarrassment and distress.  Women experiencing these conditions report a reduced self esteem, along with time lost from work.4 The availability of over-the-counter antifungal treatments has the potential to ease some of the burden patients experience as a result of one of these conditions."

This activity has been accredited by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia as a Group 2 activity for 1 point. Accreditation number: CX090022b.

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Poll: Optometrist prescribing : 20/02/2009 :

This week's poll asked 'listers to tell us whether pharmacies are seeing more optometrist prescriptions since they 'won' PBS prescribing rights a few years back? A bit ho hum really, reflected in the number of respondents (70). Not surprisingly, people are seeing the number of optometrist prescriptions rise 'somewhat'.  (Click the link below to see the result in detail.)

Let's see if we can generate a little more interest with today's poll at left. We'll run this one over the weekend and publish the result on Monday.

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PSA: Joint Approach to Development of the Pharmacy Profession : 20/02/2009 :

Many 'listers will have read comments made by Professor Charlie Benrimoj while delivering the Neil Naismith Memorial Lecture in Victoria earlier this month to the effect that the PSA should have a greater role to play in the negotiations leading up to the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement (CPA).

Professor Benrimoj, pictured at right, argued that it was 'unacceptable' that one organisation (The Pharmacy Guild) should 'drive our professional future'. His comments, and ensuing discussion, have prompted the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to clarify its position in the future negotiating process.

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Poll: 'free' advice in pharmacies : 20/02/2009 :

In a post to AusPharmList yesterday John Gibson wrote:

"For as long as any of us can remember and for a long time before that, pharmacists have provided ‘first contact’ primary care / management of minor ailments  free. Some will feel that this is the way to go in the future. Using this as some sort of ‘loss leader’ to draw customers into the pharmacy where they can be prevailed on to hopefully have their prescriptions dispensed and spend money. Not an unreasonable approach at face value. But it is unsustainable."

What do you think about this? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll below.

NSW wins Pharmacy Cricket 2009 : 19/02/2009 :

This years pharmacy cricket carnival was held in Adelaide over the four days prior to Australia Day.

Described as the most outstanding carnival ever by Pharmacy Cricket president Greg Hodgson, matches were played at the grounds of Adelaide University, St Peter's College and the Chateau Tanunda Barossa Valley.

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Email - how to do it : 19/02/2009 :

Are you a rude, blathering, unprofessional idiot who screams at people and probably failed high-school English? Hopefully not. But if you aren’t paying attention to how you craft your e-mails, maybe that’s what your correspondence is saying about you.

So begins this article, all about how to use email effectively.

AusPharm receives hundreds of emails and, to be frank, not everyone has mastered the medium. We get mail with BIG attachments and sometimes with (apparently) people's entire address books copied in on the email.

If you're looking for some tips on what's appropriate and what's not in email communication this article provides some good tips.

AusPharmListers post, industry listens : 18/02/2009 :

'Listers may remember the discussion thread back in August last year that talked about how to get the top off the 'new' Augmentin bottles.

Michael Khoo came up with a very elegant solution. As have the GSK people  ...  last week.

That's Michael's on the right and the GSK one is on the left (click for a bigger photo). Will you be hitting GSK for royalties Michael?

Click here to go to the old "Industry News" page (pre 01/09/2006).