ADVANCED Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has released a new edition of Don't Rush to Crush, the guide to safely administering oral medicines to people with enteral feeding tubes or swallowing difficulties, as a fully digital resource.
Included in the Pharmacy Board of Australia's list of essential references for pharmacy practice, Don't Rush to Crush includes comprehensive information on more than 600 oral medicines available in Australia, and is accessible via the eMIMS and AusDI platforms.
AdPha President Tom Simpson said the move to end printing reflects growing user preference to access the resource online, while enabling more detail, more regular updates and a more environmentally sustainable approach.
"We're pleased to re-launch Don't Rush to Crush , with the online format enabling a more flexible and targeted presentation of monographs and an agile response to changes and new information.
"Updates to monographs will now be released four times a year, with focus on a different therapeutic class each quarter.
"The shift respects that health professionals and trainees - including pharmacists and pharmacy students, nurses and nursing students, health professionals in aged care, speech pathologists and dietitians - prefer the accessibility and convenience of online information."
Simpson said they may still print Don't Rush to Crush on-demand or to aid accessibility.
Dr Lisa Pont, Chair of the Don't Rush to Crush Editorial Committee and member of the AdPha Geriatric Medicine Leadership Committee, said the new edition increases focus on patient safety, informed by collaborative research.
"The recommendations in Don't Rush to Crush are informed by our most comprehensive dispersion testing of tablets and capsules to date, with more than 160 medicines tested for physical suitability of administration into enteral feeding tubes, in partnership with the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at University of Tasmania," she said, adding that more than 150 additional medicines are currently being tested to inform future updates.
"The new edition also clearly highlights tablets or capsules that are considered large, given evidence that suggests large tablets and capsules may increase the risk of choking, even for people without recognised swallowing difficulties."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 18 Mar 25
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