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International Self-Care Day – an Opportunity to Embrace
Remember when the “Self-Care” cards were launched by PSA? Those were the days. As a profession, pharmacists decided that they needed to play a more meaningful role in patient care, above and beyond the supply facility. Never mind vocal engagement – these were written materials that quickly went into a back corner to gather dust.…
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Cannabis Confusion
Recent and quite mischievous reporting in the medical media is confusing the issues around our willingness to accept medicinal cannabis into the analgesic arena. I refer particularly to the “world’s longest in-depth community study” in which the four-year study of 1500 people examined the effect of cannabis on pain. The report goes on to say…
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What’s going on here?
Interesting reporting from within the medical/pharmacy media about the ego-driven (on both sides) reporting of the pharmacists versus doctors. There’s nothing new here, but why the sensational reporting? It’s even come down to the “evidence” – “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine…….we’ll agree to disagree and then retreat to our professions”. The…
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Can we make a difference on mental health?
It’s Men’s Health Week, and I’m sure that you are aware of the shocking statistics surrounding depression in men. The reasons why men seem to be so vulnerable are debated constantly, but statistics don’t lie. We pharmacists are in a rather privileged position to help. Or, on the other hand, we can decide not to…
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Is Health a Team Game Anymore?
Interesting statement from the outgoing AMA president where he says that “if we go farming off little elements of health care to pharmacy and other health professionals, we lose out”. I interpret that as simply “we doctors make less money” but in my view, the patient benefits wonderfully in most instances. The recent exchanges on…
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We are Judged Within Seven Seconds of Meeting Somebody
We are head down, tail up, working our way through a pile of prescriptions across the day, striving to use the skills that we are famous and respected for. Some of the people waiting for scripts will be people we already know. Others will be brand new patients, who we are engaging with for the…
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“Recommendation Prescriptions”
How many times in an average day would you discuss a minor ailment with a patient? Do you aim for a quick sale, or do you really engage and help with meaningful solutions? What about considering your own “script pad” with your name and pharmacy details imprinted, and on which you list your solutions, in…
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Take two broccoli and call me in the morning!
Have you ever considered that we are in a pill-popping society? The first line treatment for many of the medical problems that walk through our doors is a medication. Have heartburn? Forget about avoiding the foods that cause your symptoms – just take a pill. New diagnosis of diabetes? We give lip service to lifestyle…
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Have we lost our therapeutic gaze?
How often do we listen quickly to a request, or to a brief description of some symptom picture? Do we really give our patients our 100% focus, and dismiss the temptation to avert our gaze from that patient in front of you to catch the attention of another person? I hear similar things from patients…
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Can I complain?
Ever been subjected to a formal complaint? Ever had one of those notices from AHPRA setting out the details of a complaint, allowing you a few weeks to respond, and then to sweat for months waiting for an outcome? There has to be system I agree, whereby a legitimate error has occurred, whereby a patient…