What's New
Veterans' Medicine Advice & Therapeutics Education Services (Vetrans' MATES)
Pharmacy Board of Australia schedule of fees
Medication Review Accreditation Incentive (MRAI) Program Update
2010 Budget Comment and Summary
Swine Flu Update
Swine Flu Vaccination Trial Towards Phase II
Pharmacists Seek Right to Prescribe
Therapeutic Advice and Information Service (TAIS) phone line
Health Professionals United on e-Health
New Drug Use Evealuation (DUE)
FIP Seeks Your Help
In 2012 the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) will be celebrating a monumental event, one that – with your help – will shape the future of the pharmacy profession! In this year, FIP will celebrate its 100 year anniversary, with the most important event of the year being the International FIP Centennial Congress. The Centennial Congress will be the greatest opportunity to look towards the future and together discuss how pharmacists may firmly place themselves at the forefront of positive changes in global health.
As such, FIP is asking for your input in shaping the Centennial Congress Programme by filling in this survey. As you respond to the questions, we ask that you think about not only what is relevant to you as a pharmacist now, but what information will best help you take your place as an influential and leading member of the healthcare team in the future!
Completing in this survey will take you less than 5 minutes. The survey is completely anonymous. By filling in the survey you will also have a chance to win a free Centennial Congress registration for Amsterdam (3-8 October 2012), the Netherlands.
Thank you very much for your input and collaboration.
Veterans' Medicine Advice & Therapeutics Education Services (Vetrans' MATES)
The Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Veterans' MATES project team have prepared the twenty-third topic for the Veterans' MATES project. This topic, Impact of glaucoma medications on co-morbilities, developed with the additional support of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, discusses the management of glaucoma in patients with cardiovascular disease or respiratory disease and encourages a coordinated approach to the management of veteran patients. Information on this topic, and previous topics, is available from Veterans' MATES.
Pharmacy Board of Australia schedule of fees
The Pharmacy Board of Australia has published its schedule of fees.
• The annual fee for general registration is $295.
• For initial registration, both an application fee and a fee for annual renewal of registration will apply.
• The oral examination fee for interns is $295.
• There are no fees for the registration of students.
Full details are available here.
NPS Rebrand
From today (1 July) the National Prescribing Service new brand comes into effect. The National Prescribing Service will now be known as NPS: better choices, better health. A brighter, more colourful logo and pattern has also been developed to help make the brand more recognisable. One of the NPS 10 year goals is to become a household name and for quality use of medicines to be widely understood and implemented. Following extensive research we realised that National Prescribing Service was no longer a broad enough descriptor for the organisation. NPS work goes beyond prescription medicines and now includes quality use of medical tests.
For further information or if you need the new logo please contact Kerren Hosking, or phone 02 8217 8796.
Changes to NPS phone services
From 1 July some changes are occurring to the NPS phone services. TAIS, which provides medicines information to health professionals, is discontinuing following a decision made last year by the NPS Board. To assist health professionals seeking this sort of information the NPS has created an online resource with links to credible information sources. This is available at www.nps.org.au/medicines_information_guide. NPS is also changing the service model for Medicines Line, the phone information service for consumers. We are now working with the National Healthcare Call Centre Network service, healthdirect Australia to deliver Medicines Line.
NPS were not able to retain the current phone number for Medicines Line, and this has changed as of 1 July to 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424). In many ways this will be easier for consumers to remember. People who ring the old Medicines Line number after 1 July will hear a recorded voice message advising them the number has changed and they will need to hang up and ring the new number.
Healthdirect Australia is staffed by registered nurses, and Medicines Line will operate Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm AEST. Under the new model:
• Medicines related calls are answered by a healthdirect Australia nurse in the first instance and triaged on the basis of clear protocols as required
• Complex calls which fall outside the scope of national nursing standards will be referred to either the caller’s doctor, community pharmacist, another health professional or to NPS
• NPS will operate an in‐house pharmacist service with capacity to answer up to 10,000 calls per year. Calls will be referred to NPS from healthdirect Australia.
The new model offers consumers greater access to information about their medicines and by offering the NPS in‐house service we will ensure consumers continue to have access to a service that can answer more complex questions. Importantly, it will also allow us to capture data about medicines issues to better inform our quality use of medicines programs.
Please note the Adverse Medicines Events line which NPS also funds will not be affected by these changes and its number remains the same.
Medication Review Accreditation Incentive (MRAI) Program Update
Time is running out for pharmacists seeking MMR credential to be eligible for the accreditation incentive payment. The incentive payment cease on 15 June 2010 and any pharmacist who applies for Stage 2 of the MMR credential after this date will be assessed under current systems but will not be eligible for the accreditation incentive payment. Clear here for details
Issues Paper on The Future of Pharmacy
Australia’s health system is under pressure from a variety of factors including an ageing population, increasing levels of chronic disease, health workforce shortages and concerns over the safety and quality of services. In response to these and other factors, PSA has today launched its Issues Paper on the Future of Pharmacy, the first step in the process of taking stock of where the pharmacy profession is now and where the profession wants to head. Click here to view the Issues Paper. Comment on Issues Paper
Swine Flu Update
The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, said Australians must be prepared for possible outbreaks of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza - or swine flu - as we move into the Southern Hemisphere flu season. Since the beginning of this year there have been almost 50 confirmed cases of swine flu in Australia. To help people understand the risks swine flu poses to the community, and the need for all people to get vaccinated, the Australian Government is launching the ‘Facts about Swine Flu’ campaign. Full details here.
Swine Flu Vaccination Trial Towards Phase II
The first phase of a swine flu vaccination program trial conducted in Tasmania by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Department of Health and Human Services has proved popular with the community. Phase II of the pandemic vaccination program will now be rolled out to allow pharmacy-based clinics to support other elements of the swine flu vaccination program.
During Phase I last month, more than 2500 patients were vaccinated at five pharmacies by nurse immunisers in just one week. Media release here.
Pharmacists Seek Right to Prescribe
The Australian newspaper has published an article regarding pharamacists right to prescribe. You can view the article here.
PSA on Facebook
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has launched a Facebook site which is quickly gaining an increasing number of fans. The site keeps fans updated with news and information on PSA activities as well as providing them the opportunity to comment and provide feedback. You can access the PSA Facebook page here.
SINEMET CR
PSA has received updated advice from Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) regarding the supply shortage of Sinemet CR (levodopa/carbidopa). The supply situation is such that the distribution of Sinemet CR to pharmaceutical wholesalers has ceased until 2011. It is expected that the majority of pharmacies will not be able to fill prescriptions from March 2010 for approximately 12 months.
As advised previously, the shortage is not related to any product quality or safety issue. Supplies of the immediate release formulation of Sinemet 100/25mg and 250/25mg tablets are not affected.
Pharmacists can assist by recommending all patients currently on Sinemet CR to make an appointment with their prescribing doctor as soon as possible to consider alternative arrangements. A patient information leaflet has been made available by MSD.
Pharmacists with any queries can contact the MSD Medical Information group on 1800 645 712.
Therapeutic Advice and Information Service (TAIS) phone line
The National Prescribing Service (NPS) Board has decided to discontinue funding for the Therapeutic Advice and Information Service (TAIS) phone line as of 30 June 2010. The NPS Board considered that there is greater value in funding new projects to increase access to prescribing data for quality improvement purposes and to provide support for Aboriginal Health Workers. Over the coming months the NPS will provide health professionals with information resources to support their medicines information needs.
Moving pharmacy forward - the Fifth Community Pharamcy Agreement
The Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement will underpin the funding of community pharmacy in Australia through to 2015. By agreement between the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Federal Government, it will also enhance the range of professional services and e-health capabilities of modern Australian pharmacies. Details here
2010 Guide to PSA Programs
A clear responsibility for pharmacists during their career is the need to continually maintain and grow their professional practice and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s extensive Professional Development and Practice Support programs are specifically designed to facilitate this.
To further help members of the PSA access the programs and plan their professional and business development activities for the year, the 2010 Guide to PSA Programs has been released which details the wide range of activities and offerings under the PSA programs. Members will receive a hardcopy of the brochure with the January edition of Australian Pharmacist.
Health Professionals United on e-Health
A high-level meeting of health organisations in Canberra has scoped the development of a robust, patient-centred e-prescribing system through a collaborative partnership between doctors and pharmacists. The roundtable, hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, reaffirmed that e-prescribing of medications can provide substantial benefits to consumers through better medication management and reduced medication errors, as well as improved communication. The roundtable made up of representatives from the Australian Medical Association, the National E-Health Transition Authority, the Consumers Hearth Forum, the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, the Australian Association of Practice Managers, the PSA and the RACGP. Read the media release here.
New Drug Use Evaluation (DUE) and eDUE Toolkit for Residential Aged Care Facilities
National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) has developed with nurses working in aged care, a suite of DUE toolkits to suppport better use of medicines in residential aged care facilities. The electronic DUE is the first eDUE to be available as a donwloadable application to health professionals. The standalone tool saves time in entering data with an intuitive interface and a variety of drop down menus, has a 'save as you go' mechanism, recognises appropriate dosage quantities and provides automatic feedback.
The purpose of the DUE toolkits is to enable better use of medicines by assisting the aged care facility to compare current drug use against best practice and guide the aged care facility toward making changes that have a positive effect on resident well-being. The toolkits are downloadable from the NPS website.
There are now four DUE toolkits available from NPS:
- Benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics for insomnia (NEW eDUE version)
- Antipsychotics for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia
- Analgesics for persistent pain
- Laxative use for chronic constipation
Swine Influenza
Swine Flu (A/H1N1)Information – 18 June 2009
Information regarding Swine Flu can be downloaded from here.
Full details of the Government’s new ‘PROTECT” phase are available here.
Swine Flu (H1/N1) Information - 25 May 2009
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported
What is Swine Flu - 12 May 2009
Information regarding what is Swine Flu can be downloaded as a black and white copy or as a colour copy
Tamiflu Supply Protocol during Period of Supply Suspension - 7 May 2009
Information regarding Tamiflu supply protocol can be downloaded from here
Swine Flu (A/H1N1)Information - 7 May 2009
Information regarding Swine Flu can be downloaded from here.
Supply of Tamiflu suspended - 5 May 2009
Information regarding Tamiflu can be downloaded from here.
Swine Flu (A/H1N1)Information - 30 April 2009
Information regarding Swine Flu can be downloaded from here.
Project STOP
Project STOP is a pharmacy initiative to address the problem of precursor diversion through Australian Community Pharmacies. The most common precursor sourced through the community pharmacy channel is pseudoephedrine which can be used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamines. Project STOP is an online tool which provides decision support to pharmacists who need to establish whether requests for products containing pseudoephedrine are legitimate. It also assists pharmacists in meeting their state regulatory recording requirements where they exist. Further information can be obtained from Project STOP.
The PSA recommends all pharmacies belong to Project STOP and adhere to its guidelines. The original PSA Code of Practice on Pseudoephedrine was passed by the board in 2002, before Project STOP was developed and, while the Code of Practice remains in force, members are recommended to add the guidelines set out in Project STOP to their operating procedures. In addition, members should check with their relevant state or territory authorities as to mandated requirements in dispensing pseudoephedrine-based products. Click here for the latest PSA Code of Practice on Pseudoephedrine.
