This episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast features Pharmacist Anna Barwick, Director, PharmOnlineAu, an advisory service that aims to provide Australians with 24/7 remote access to registered, experienced Pharmacists via telehealth consultations. Listen in as host Scott Carpenter, EVBC talks to Anna about taking the Dispensary online and what possibilities it holds in the near future.
Anna calls herself a fairly complex character. And rightfully so! She is a Pharmacist by trade, a PhD candidate at UQ on the topic of medication rationalisation and deprescribing (stopping unnecessary medicines), a Pharmacy Practice Academic at the University of New England (UNE), an accredited practitioner for undertaking Home Medication Reviews (HMRs) through the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists (AACP), a vaccinator, an educator, a mother, and a rural woman.
Anna and husband are both Pharmacists and the idea of PharmOnline actually stems from their own experience. When breastfeeding their baby, Anna noticed some rash and upon asking Dr Google realised how anxiety-inducing the experience can be for someone who does not have a medical background. It is either that or that people can be isolated for a number of other reasons including remoteness, all which can limit their access to Pharmacists and appropriate advice. Anna wanted to change that and make Pharmacists even more accessible than they already are.
