Clinical
‘Determined to ensure everything is the best it can be’
Novel working group of hospital pharmacists with a passion for medication guidelines finds success with <1% incident reports related to high-risk IV use A pharmacy team-based approach has consistently produced …
Inconsistencies, ambiguities may lead to errors: study
Less than 15% of paediatric medicine labels met Australian standards on dosing instructions, new study finds The study, led by researchers from the University of Auckland’s School of Pharmacy, analysed …
Patients benefitting from immediate access to triptans
The downscheduling of triptans in 2021 led to a drop in prescription-only dispensings, but the biggest savings are seen in general patients, say experts General patients with intermittent migraine were …
New indication for Ozempic
Blockbuster drug receives TGA approval for CKD indication, as wholesaler supply restrictions are lifted The TGA has approved glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) drug Ozempic (semaglutide 1.0mg) for a label …
‘High risk, high stakes’: Errors involving children
Pharmacists share shocking case studies, with one seeing up to 1000-times dose errors for clonidine while another witnessed a child develop opioid dependency Leading pharmacists are warning the profession to …
Caution urged over patients taking multiple supplements
Patients are often unaware of additional vitamins in products that do not include them in their name, experts warn Health professionals are sounding the alarm over supplements containing vitamin B6, …
Filling the gap
New deprescribing guidelines cover top 100 most dispensed PBS medicines for older people, developed by expert team from UWA A blockbuster team of medicines experts and consumer representatives have developed …
Woman exposed to 27-fold RDI of vitamin B6
Many pharmacy supplements contain levels of vitamin B6 far exceeding RDI per tablet, warns doctor who shared case studies of patients that experienced toxicity Multiple pharmacy vitamins and supplements contain …
‘Huge’ opportunity for pharmacist prescribing
Crucial drug for menopausal women should be added to pharmacist prescribing rights, GP argues, with doctors “not doing it well” Vaginal hormones should be made more easily available through pharmacists, …
Lived experience influences at-risk screening: study
How does a pharmacist’s own experiences with mental health affect how they screen and respond to at-risk patients? Researchers in Western Australia investigated Pharmacists’ lived experience with suicide affects how …
‘We are not policemen’
PDL director advises on how to address patients “demanding” S3 medicines including SABAs While pharmacists need to be counselling on short-acting beta agonists (SABAs) overuse, it’s not their role to …
Asthma control, SABA overuse addressed
Leading pharmacist warns of 32-fold increased mortality risk associated with SABA overuse as definition of “asthma control” changes in Australian guidelines Changes in the Australian Asthma Handbook due to be …