“Australia’s really making significant progress in advancing scope of pharmacy practice,” NSW pharmacy trials chief investigator, Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin says on our latest podcast
AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh discusses the expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice with the University of Newcastle’s Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin, who is leading the NSW pharmacy trials.
Since the start of the NSW trials pharmacies across the state – and the ACT – have provided more than 20,000, with the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) becoming part of pharmacists’ permanent practice in the two jurisdictions, Dineen-Griffin noted (0 minutes 56).
She said that more than 18,000 consultations were conducted by pharmacists as part of the UTI trial, with 2000 occasions of service recorded for the resupply of oral contraceptives, and a further 1000 as part of the dermatology trial.
“The number of consultations was really influenced by the scope of the authority regarding both age and other eligibility criteria,” she said (1:57).
“With regards to the dermatology trial, we are now focused on pharmacists managing select conditions… and this trial is really aiming to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of pharmacist-led management of these conditions overall.”
Other topics discussed include:
- Sub-studies looking at the accessibility and impact of pharmacy-led services for Indigenous patients; antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, and services in rural and remote areas (3:07).
- Recommendations from the NSW trials are influencing the scope of work that is happening in other jurisdictions (4:07).
- Global trends in pharmacists’ scope of practice (5:13).
- The introduction of autonomous prescribing for pharmacists in the UK (6:20).
- Australia must not only build on its evidence-based, but also ensure a timely implementation of proven practices while staying aligned with global developments in healthcare innovation (9:00).
- Expanding the scope of practice is an inevitable evolution of the profession, but ensuring its viability really depends on several important factors (10:52).
Infrastructural and educational requirements (12:02).
Implementation process critical for success of services and supporting the pharmacy workforce (14:08).
Successful implementation of pharmacy services really hinges on business considerations (19:02).
Efforts are underway to expand the range of conditions pharmacists can treat as part of expanded scope of practice (21:30).
Australia is making significant progress in evolving pharmacists’ scope, but ensuring new services are sustainable will be critical (25:02).
You can access the full transcript of this podcast here. While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription.
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Carlene McMaugh
