1. Red tape reform to boost pharmacist vaccinations in SA
December 8, 2017
New regulatory reforms introduced by the South Australian Government for pharmacist-delivered vaccinations have been welcomed by the peak national body for pharmacists, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
In a move to improve public health outcomes, trained pharmacists in South Australia will no longer have to renew their vaccination credentials every three years as of December 5, 2017.
PSA SA/NT President Robyn Johns said the reform will remove red tape burdens on pharmacists who have proven to be highly effective and accessible immunisers in the community.
“Pharmacists welcome SA Health Minister Peter Malinauskas’ vision and ongoing commitment to enable trained pharmacists to provide high quality and accessible vaccinations in community pharmacies – this new reform is a positive step forward for improving healthcare,” Ms Johns said.
“We also sincerely thank SA Health for being supportive of these reforms.”
Ms Johns said: “While there will be no formal requirements for ongoing training, pharmacists are reminded that immunisers must have up-to-date First Aid, CPR and anaphylaxis training.
“Under the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s CPD Guidelines, all pharmacist immunisers are also expected by undertake CPD relevant to their scope of practice.”
Across Australia, all pharmacists can now vaccinate for influenza. In SA, pharmacists can also vaccinate for whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and tetanus as well as polio. In Victoria pharmacists can immunise for whooping cough – while pharmacists can vaccinate for whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and tetanus in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
PSA National President Dr Shane Jackson said: “On a national level, PSA is working closely with all State and Territory Governments and key health stakeholders to expand immunisation services beyond influenza.
“PSA supports immunisation as both a public health program and as a means of managing an individual’s health.
“PSA’s Immunisation Training Programs are tailored for State and Territory requirements. They are nationally accredited and approved by State and Territory Health Departments.”
2. Helping pharmacists identify principles and pathways for pain management
December 1, 2017
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
The fourth online module of an education package to support the pharmacy profession through the upcoming codeine scheduling changes has been released by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).
Pain is complicated and subjective, and is experienced by a large number of Australians. In 2007-08, 67% of Australians 15 years of age and older reported experiencing bodily pain in the past four weeks.1 Timely and effective management of acute pain minimises the risk of a patient developing distress and disability associated with pain.2
With the upcoming changes to scheduling of combination medicines containing codeine, many patients will have to change how they manage their pain. Pharmacists are positioned well to respond to and help manage acute pain presentations in pharmacy.
Effective management of pain in a pharmacy setting consists of more than recommending pain relief. Pharmacists must assess pain, clarify if referral is required and ensure that patients are supported in seeking further assistance if their pain persists.
As part of the education package to support the profession through these changes, the Guild and PSA have developed an online module titled Codeine rescheduling: Principles of pain management/Pain management in practice.
The new two-part module provides a practical look at how to manage pain in the pharmacy, including an easy-to-use workflow to guide pharmacists through the process of responding to patients with pain. A companion module provides an examination of key presentations of pain seen in pharmacy, and includes interactive examples for pharmacists to test their learning.
Each activity has been accredited for 1 hour of Group 1 CPD (or 1 CPD credit), suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist’s CPD plan, which can be converted to 1 hour of Group 2 CPD (or 2 CPD credits) upon successful completion of relevant assessment activities.
To enrol in this course please visit www.psa.org.au/codeine/education or www.myCPD.org.au
For more information, contact either PSA on 1300 269 772 or email education@psa.org.au or Guild Learning and Development on 03 9810 9930 or email learninganddevelopment@guild.org.au
References:
1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Characteristics of bodily pain in Australia. 2012. At: www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4841.0Chapter12011
2. Analgesic expert group. Mechanisms and precipitants in the transition to chronic pain. eTG complete [online]. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited; 2017.