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What can we learn from Thyroid Pharmacist?
It was just over a year ago, when I was starting out in a busy suburban pharmacy as a professional services pharmacist, when I noticed something a bit weird…literally every second person I spoke with for about a full week was on thyroxine tablets. I stared back at these patients. A lot of them were…
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Biometric Systems – Coming to a Place Near You
Devices for measuring personal biometrics have been evolving for some time now, with the promise of continuous monitoring of a patient or a well person undertaking a strenuous fitness program. On balance, the fitness industry is driving this type of monitoring to ensure safety and guidance for fitness trainers, but there is obviously room for…
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Bio-Wearables – “Tech Tats” with a Difference
A new group of technologists has taken up the challenge of “bio-hacking” – a range of systems for unlocking, measuring and transmitting various body biometrics. This group stands for citizen ownership of the new technology and is developing products that while being functional, may also be a fashion item. Above all, they will be affordable.…
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Walk-In Clinics for UK Pharmacies
UK community pharmacies are considering the adoption of a US style “walk-in” clinic that involves collaboration with clinical nurse practitioners, to ease the burden on an overstretched NHS service. Walk-in centres were more likely to be used by those aged 16-45, with women slightly more likely to attend according to a recent Monitor review. Since…
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Precision Medicine – Pharmacy needs to get a move on
Primary health care teams in the US are currently being considered for the promotion of personalised medicine based on gene analysis. This has to be pharmacist territory, but given the time lag of pharmacist leadership organisations, Australian pharmacists may again miss the boat by not having decentralised training systems to be able to deliver suitable…
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3D-Printed Liver Cells Commercially Available
I’ve sometimes wondered, though, why people care so much about space when there are so many real problems back on Terra. One company that is attempting to improve the quality of life on Earth is Organovo. This year will be described in history books as the year that the first 3D printed liver cells were…
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E-Commerce Giant May Interest Pharmacy Inventors
Health and wellness, apart from providing opportunity in product retailing and the sale of health services, is also a rich source for research projects involving new inventions that represent a vast range of opportunities. Many pharmacists have an inventive component in their make-up and many useful products and services have been invented and designed to…
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Knowledge Products and Innovation Should be Organised and Rewarded
Australia should be supporting young health professionals (including pharmacists) who have skills in innovation and entrepreneurship that would improve our health systems, create disruptive businesses models that would prevent organisations such as Colesworth from contemplating a takeover and also to drive Australia’s economy in its transition from a resource-based economy to a service-based economy. Australia…
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NPS –Information on medical tests
What are medical tests and why are they useful? Medical tests are a range of checks and procedures used to: screen for possible illness diagnose the likely cause of symptoms monitor health conditions or the effects of treatment. Medical tests include pathology tests, such as blood and urine tests, and a range of imaging tests…
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NPS Media Releases – 1. Tricks of the Trade 2. Diagnostic Approach to Fatigue
1. TRICKS OF THE TRADE IN DRUG PROMOTION An article in the latest edition of Australian Prescriber looks at the controversies of promoting drugs to doctors. While direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is prohibited in Australia, drugs are advertised to healthcare professionals. Author Paul Biegler, Adjunct research fellow at the Centre for Human Bioethics, Monash University, dissects…