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PSA News Releases - September 2009

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	Peter Waterman articles by this author...
Keeping you up to date with PSA activities.

Information made available from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia by Peter Waterman.
Peter Waterman is the Public Affairs Manager for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. He may be contacted by telephone (02)62834782, or on mobile phone 0419 260 827

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30 September 2009

EARLY CAREER PHARMACISTS’ GROUP TO BE ESTABLISHED

A special group for young pharmacists will be established within the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia at a function at the Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney from 15-18 October.

The Early Career Pharmacists group is being established to give a greater focus on pharmacists in the early stages of their career and catering to their needs.

Winner of FIP Young Pharmacists Group Grant for Professional Innovation 2009 and former PSA 2006 PSA Young Pharmacist of the Year Claire O’Reilly said the PSA saw the need to better identify the needs of early career pharmacists in relation to professional development, practice support and advocacy.

There was also the need for a group to advise the PSA on how to address these specific needs.

“This Group will facilitate programs and activities that aim to improve the professional satisfaction of ECPs,” Ms O’Reilly said.

“It will also assist with the planning, organisation and promotion of PSA activities that engage early career pharmacists.”

Ms O’Reilly said the PSA wanted to encourage and support early career pharmacist involvement, motivation and contribution to the Society and the Group was one way of achieving this.

“The Group will work with PSA to present a clear vision for pharmacy, focusing on excellence in practice, innovation and career development,” she said.

The launch of the Group, whose first National Chair is Tasmanian pharmacist David Peachey, will take place at the Arthouse Hotel in Sydney on the evening of Friday 16 October.

An added feature of the launch will be a reunion of present and past members of the National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association.

“Early career pharmacists and student pharmacists will be able to get together for a night of networking, sharing experiences and discussing their future in the profession,” Ms O’Reilly said

The ECP group will also be hosting a breakfast at PAC on Sunday 18 October 'The morning after - ECP breakfast. How to secure your future.'

A number of prominent ECPs will be speaking about their chosen career path in pharmacy and the different career options for ECPs.

Full details of PAC, and tickets for the ECP National Launch, can be found at www.pac2009.com.au

21 September 2009

FREE PAC SESSIONS FOR PHARMACY ASSISTANTS

The importance of pharmacy assistants to the pharmacy profession is being recognised in special weekend presentations for assistants at the Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney this year.

Pharmacy assistants outnumber pharmacists by a ratio of more than five-to-one and it is estimated there are currently more than 27,000 pharmacy assistants working across the nation.

The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Warwick Plunkett, said the value and importance that pharmacy assistants played could not be over-stated.

“These assistants are often the first person that a consumer meets when they come into a pharmacy to ask for advice,” Mr Plunkett said.

“Their role is a critical part of the profession of pharmacy and their knowledge and skills are essential to the health and wellbeing of Australians.

“In recognition of this, PAC is running two mornings of presentations developed specifically for pharmacy assistants.”

The PAC09 Pharmacy Assistants Program runs from 9.30am on both Saturday 17 October and Sunday 18 October.

Topics to be covered include:

* coping with the complexities of quit smoking strategies

* selling sun protection for the fashion conscious customer

* increasing confidence in the baby care business

* effective over the counter treatments for urinary tract infections

* winning the battle against brittle bones

* hayfever – how to help with the very latest treatments.

As an added incentive for pharmacy assistants, the presentations are free of charge if the pharmacy assistant is a staff member of full delegates to PAC.

The presentations are among the highlights of PAC09, the pre-eminent pharmacy event of the year being held at the Sydney Hilton from 15-18 October under the primary theme of Securing Your Practice Advantage.

Full details of PAC and the Pharmacy Assistants Program can be found at www.pac2009.com.au

16 September 2009

PAC LOOKS AT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOPOROSIS MEDICATIONS

Osteoporosis is such a major health problem that it is estimated someone is admitted to an Australian hospital with an osteoporotic fracture every five to six minutes.

And by 2021 it is suggested the frequency of hospital admissions will have increased to one admission every three to four minutes as the population ages and osteoporosis becomes more prevalence.

The importance of pharmacists understanding and better managing osteoporosis will be the subject of a key presentation in the Advanced Clinical Practice stream at this year’s Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney being held at the Sydney Hilton from 15-18 October under the overarching theme of Securing Your Practice Advantage.

Osteoporosis treatments – what are the risks? will be presented by Professor Jeff Hughes, Head, School of Pharmacy, Curtin University of Technology, who will examine the number of pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures which may be employed to prevent and manage osteoporosis, in particular to reduce the risk of bone fracture.

“These inventions have varying clinical efficacies and associated toxicities,” Professor Hughes said.

“The decision to commence a person on drug treatment for their osteoporosis should always be based on the estimated benefit of treatment (that is, the potential to prevent bone fracture) balanced against the potential risks (that is, adverse effects).”

Professor Hughes says the past decade has seen the emergence of evidence that can better inform physicians in the choice of osteoporosis management.

“In this presentation the array of adverse effects which need to be considered in selecting the appropriate drug therapy for an individual patient will be discussed,” he says.

“These will include gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, hypercalcaemia, cardiac arrhythmias , thromboembolic disorders , musculoskeletal disorders, osteonecrosis of the jaw, and bone fractures.”

As well as being Head of the School of Pharmacy at Curtin University of Technology., Professor Hughes is recognised as a leader in clinical pharmacy education and practice in Australia.

In 2004 his efforts in the areas of clinical pharmacy education and pharmacy research were acknowledged when he was named the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Pharmacist of the Year.

Full details of PAC can be found at www.pac2009.com.au

10 September 2009

FIP PRESIDENT TO SHARE VISION AT PAC

The continuing and growing role and importance of the International Pharmaceutical Federation will be the focus of a keynote presentation at this year’s Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney.

President of FIP, Dr Kamal K. Midha, will detail be one of the many leading national and international pharmacy figures to present at this year’s PAC which promises to be one of the best to date.

His presentation is particularly topical as it closely follows FIP’s international congress which is currently being held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Dr Midha says that since its formation in 1912, FIP has been providing an international platform where pharmaceutical science and pharmacy practice meet and bring together objective, scientific knowhow and expertise on all aspects of medicines, from needs-based research to rational use by patients.

“FIP has developed and adopted a global vision and mission, based on a long history of activity, to unite pharmacy and pharmaceutical science organisations in achieving a common goal,” Dr Midha says.

That shared international goal is “to improve global health by advancing pharmacy practice and science to enable better discovery, development, access to and safe use of appropriate, cost-effective, quality medicines worldwide”.

Dr Midha’s presentation at PAC will share FIP’s vision with delegates and discuss concrete examples of how FIP and pharmacists worldwide have acted upon and raised awareness of issues in many areas.

These topics cover a range as diverse as the pharmacy workforce, collaborative pharmacy practice, research and innovation and good pharmacy practice in concordance with global health priorities and in collaboration with stakeholders in the health-care system.

Dr Midha is one of the leading national and international presenters who promise to make PAC09 an essential component of pharmacists’ educational and networking experience for 2009.

PAC is being held at the Sydney Hilton from 15-18 October under the overarching theme of Securing Your Practice Advantage.

Full details of PAC can be found at www.pac2009.com.au

9 September 2009

NATIONAL ECZEMA AWARENESS WEEK - PSA SUPPORTS New Eczema resource for Pharmacists

PSA is supporting the release of a new Eczema management resource - Eczema Management Guide For The Pharmacist during National Eczema Awareness Week which runs until 13 September.

Eczema is a skin condition which affects about one in three Australians at some time in their lives. It usually starts when a child is a baby and is sometimes gone by the time the child is about six.

However, the condition can also start later in life and some people have eczema at different times throughout their lives resulting in skin that n is very itchy with dry red patchy skin usually on the face, elbows or knees. These patches can become watery and sore looking and later the skin may look thick and leathery. When the sores are weeping it is easy for them to become infected.

As part of its support for National Eczema Awareness Week, the PSA is making the resource available to members via the PSA website at www.psa.org.au, allowing its members access to the latest information to bring them up to date on the current treatments and advice available.

The Eczema Management Guide For the Pharmacist is a new resource, and a first of its kind for Australia, developed for the Eczema Association by pharmacist Tina Aspres and dermatologist Dr Phillip Artemi.

Grant Kardachi, the Acting President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, said the organisation urged people with eczema or other minor ailments to talk to their pharmacist.

“This new resource is one that will assist pharmacists greatly in the care of their patients with eczema,” he said.

“Pharmacists are very focussed on the quality use of medicines to ensure that consumers get the best possible treatment available to them.”

Mr Kardachi also encouraged pharmacies to use the Eczema Self Care Fact Card at every opportunity, not only during Eczema Awareness Week but all the time.

“The Eczema Self Care Fact Card is a great ‘starting point’ for discussion about eczema and all pharmacies should be a member of the Self Care program as it is Australian pharmacy’s most successful health promotion program that equips pharmacies to be the natural focal point for preventive health measures and health education for consumers.

“As the Government moves towards a much greater emphasis on preventive health, it is timely that National Eczema Awareness Week helps highlight the pivotal role pharmacists play in this area,” Mr Kardachi said.

7 September 2009

PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is one of the more costly diseases to manage in OECD countries and affects up to 1 per cent of the world’s population.

And as a chronic and often severe neurodevelopmental disorder it accrues neurobiological, social and psychological deficits, and results in premature death after years of disability.

A special presentation at this year’s Pharmacy Australia Congress will examine up-to-date thinking regarding the targets of pharmacotherapuetic intervention, within the multidimensional incomplete recovery framework.

Presented by Professor Tim Lambert, Professor of Psychological Medicine at Concord Clinical School at The University of Sydney in Australia, the presentation will also delve into the forms of current therapy (drug classes, putative mechanisms), developments in formulation (oral, dissolvable, LAIs), and briefly present elements of future pharmacotherapeutic treatments that are in development.

Professor Lambert will conclude by presenting the salient clinical issues surrounding real world clinical effectiveness.

The presentation is one of the many topical issues being examined at PAC, the pre-eminent pharmacy event of the year being held at the Sydney Hilton from 15-18 October under the primary theme of Securing Your Practice Advantage.

Professor Lambert joins national and international speakers of note who have accepted invitations to present at PAC.

Professor Lambert is one of the leading specialists in his field and on top of his position at the University of South Australia, he is Head of Schizophrenia Treatment and Outcomes Research at the Brain & Mind Research Institute in Sydney.

In addition, he fulfils clinical duties for the SSWAHS in Sydney as Director of the Centre of Excellence in Relapse Prevention in Psychosis (CERP), and at the Concord Centre for Cardiometabolic Health in Psychosis (ccCHIP).

He has been a principal in the development of a number of clinical practice guidelines, algorithms, and consensus documents. Currently, he is chairing the consensus development group for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

He is a member of a number of international and national advisory groups concerned with antipsychotic treatments.

Full details of PAC can be found at www.pac2009.com.au

2 September 2009

THREATS AND WEAKNESSES IN PREVENTIVE CARE MODEL

The need to expand pharmacy’s preventive health-care involvement is clear and while the strengths and opportunities for the community pharmacy model are not hard to see, not so obvious are some of the serious weaknesses and threats of that model.

This issue will be addressed by Phill Woods during one of the sessions of the Professional Practice stream at the Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney from 15-18 October.

Mr Woods will argue that rational planning of an expanded path to preventive health-care activities and business highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for both the pharmacy, and more importantly, for the people who staff the pharmacy

He says it also highlights the likely synergies and barriers that surround pharmacies and pharmacists, and their ‘good idea’ in applying a preventive care model in the pharmacy.

In his address, titled Practical Applications of Preventative Health Care to Pharmacy, Mr Woods will argue that these weaknesses and treats must be acknowledged and overcome before the profession and practice of pharmacy in preventative healthcare can grow.

“This task is a leadership task, and the most important location for this leadership activity is within the pharmacy itself.” Mr Woods says.

“After all, the profession as a whole is only the collective representation of its parts.”

Mr Woods, is a registered pharmacist and academic at the School of Pharmacy, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland.

He has had nearly 30 years in pharmacy practice ownership, both in the hospital and community sectors, prior to joining the university where his teaching areas are in pharmacy practice and pharmacy management and his primary research interests lie in the development of (business) management competencies and skills for Australian pharmacists.

He will be one of the line-up of top presenters at PAC who help to make the Congress the pre-eminent pharmacy event of the year.

Under the theme Securing Your Practice Advantage, the Congress this year is being held at the Sydney Hilton.

1 September 2009

PHARMACY READY TO HELP IMPLEMENT PREVENTATIVE HEALTH TASKFORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

The final report of the Preventative Health Taskforce highlights a number of areas where a greater utilisation of pharmacists’ services will help improve the health of all Australians.

Commenting on the release of the report today, the Acting President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Grant Kardachi, said a number of the preventive health measures recommended in the taskforce’s report were already being undertaken by pharmacists.

“The taskforce strategy sets a number of ambitious targets including halving and reversing the rise in the number of overweight and obese people and reducing the prevalence of daily smoking to 10 per cent or less,” Mr Kardachi said.

“These are targets that can be met if the strategy makes use of the programs targeting these areas that are already in place in community pharmacies.

“Pharmacies have established and very successful programs to help reduce weight and the pharmacy smoking cessation program is one of the best there is.”

Mr Kardachi said another aim of the taskforce was to reduce the proportion of Australians who drink at short-term risky/high-risk levels to 14per cent, and the proportion of those who drink at long-term risky/high-risk levels to 7per cent.

“Once again pharmacists are the ideal and most appropriate health professionals to run these programs,” Mr Kardachi said.

“Pharmacists are the most accessible of all health professionals and consumers concerned about their weight, or their drinking or smoking, can walk into a pharmacy and get professional advice immediately.

“The pharmacist also can help them with programs specifically designed to deal with the issues they may be facing.”

Mr Kardachi said the Pharmacy Self Care program, which specifically targeted many preventive health issues, should be recognised as pillar in its preventive health-care strategy.

“We have the infrastructure and expertise in place. The Government doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. The groundwork has been laid and the PSA is ready to work with the Government to ensure its strategy is successful.”

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