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A Former Community Pharmacist Now a Practice Pharmacist- We Have a Q & A With Him
Clinical service pharmacists basically find themselves as a “divided bunch” and have an unclear vision for the future. Certainly they have been derailed by having their voice taken from them by the PGA/PSA controlled Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP), which incidentally, had its named changed from the original which had “pharmacist” in the title.…
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A Glimmer of Hope – A Tentative Leadership Initiative
A glimmer of hope has begun to emerge for those clinical pharmacists who would like to work in a GP environment engaging with patients, GP’s and other health professionals in a practice setting. On the 24th August, the PSA organised a forum on “Pharmacists in General Practice” and had as a keynote speaker, UK pharmacist…
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Pharmacists – Who Works for your Best Interests?
Now that the dust has settled around negotiations for 6CPA and that word “certainty” has crept back into the vocabulary once more, we are supposed to now relax and get on with the job of future-proofing the profession of pharmacy. But what “certainties” can we count on? With the current business model still having a…
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On Being a TV “Star”
From time to time I have noticed comment in pharmacy media of the lack of programs on television that feature pharmacist’s roles and that make a positive contribution to pharmacy culture. Occasionally you find the odd program that has a minor mention of a pharmacist, but generally derogatory in some way due to a character…
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GP Practice Pharmacists – What is the Future?
Many of Australia’s accredited pharmacists have become frustrated with the “silo” they have been forced to occupy. The frustration was triggered when financing of HMR’s was manipulated so as to create “caps” on the numbers of reports that could be produced, and that a lower-level PGA inspired “Medscheck” was thrust on the scene that competed…
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Communications Device and System for Clinical Pharmacists
When you are involved in clinical work in pharmacy, it is necessary to have a portable platform. This would be represented by an iPad or any Android notepad, even a smartphone. If you wanted something that could easily slip into a coat pocket, then the iPad mini is designed just for you, or you could…
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Vaccines – the Controversies Continue
As a member of a science-based profession I try to ensure that I follow processes that are evidence-based. Over the past decade I have become disillusioned over the quality and presentation of evidence for drugs which has become more of a marketing exercise than a scientific one. Even the design of clinical trials have been…
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Basic Patient Engagement
The term “Patient Engagement” is appearing in pharmacy media at an increasing rate. But what is meant by this term and is there more than one form of patient engagement? The quick answer is that the term is not new, but has been expanded to include patient sharing between various health professions. Patient engagement has…
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Post ANAO Report – the way ahead.
In his State of the Union address on 20 January, 2015, President Barrack Obama said: “I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine—one that delivers the right treatment at the right time.” And crucial to achieving that reality, said experts who addressed the 2014…
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Taking Pressure Away from the ED Lloydspharmacy Model
The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in Greater Manchester has partnered with LloydsPharmacy to trial an innovative new pharmacy-led clinic at its busy North Manchester General accident and emergency department. As A&E departments across the country face unprecedented demand and continuing pressures, with mounting patient numbers attending for all sorts of conditions and complaints, the…