A NEW Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) training program announced last week could see pharmacists enhance support for patients receiving palliative care.
As one of the successful recipients of the National Palliative Care Projects grants scheme, the PSA Palliative Care Pharmacist Foundation Training program will upskill pharmacists and improve their capacity to provide palliative care.
PSA also will pilot a community palliative care pharmacist service model, with specialist palliative care pharmacists who have undertaken the training.
The training will be co-designed with subject matter experts, partner organisations, and consumers.
National President Dr Fei Sim said people who reported difficulty accessing appropriate palliative care due to gender, cultural, or disability reasons would benefit through pharmacists receiving training in delivering care to diverse patient groups.
"Upskilling local pharmacists in palliative care will increase the capacity of community palliative care teams, community pharmacists, and general practitioners to provide care to palliative care patients.
"The service model pilot will trial and inform an ongoing model of care," Sim said.
"The pharmacist will increase collaboration and coordination of local palliative care services, reducing unnecessary hospital presentations."
Training will be available to all Australian registered pharmacists and more information of when it will launch and how to enrol will be communicated in 2024.
Funding for the training program and pilot of the community palliative care pharmacist service model was announced by the Govt as part of $68 million palliative care grants package.
Further, a Senate Committee report, Ending the postcode lottery: addressing barriers to sexual, maternity and reproductive healthcare in Australia, into sexual and reproductive healthcare has supported the PSA's call for pharmacists to play a greater role in improving safe access to contraceptives.
Sim added, "to ensure that access to reproductive healthcare is timely and contemporary we must be prepared to do things differently and allow all health professionals to practice to their top of scope".
"More than 100 countries around the world allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives without a prescription.
"Pharmacists are well placed to inform patients about their contraceptive options, including long acting reversible contraceptives," Sim concluded.
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