New SHPA research role
July 19, 2011
THE Society of Hospital
Pharmacists of Australia has today
announced a new Melbournebased
research pharmacist role
which it is jointly funding in
conjunction with Celgene.
The manufacturer has provided
an unrestricted research grant in
support of SHPA’s goal of
“excellence in medicines
management,” according to
Celgene gm Albert Spanos.
“This is an important time for
pharmacists and recognition of
their knowledge and expertise
about using medicines at all steps
of the medicines management
pathway,” Spanos said.
“Much is happening in Australia
at present and we want to support
SHPA to provide their input to key
areas of the broad health agenda”.
The key focus of the new SHPA
Celgene Fellow will be to bring
together evidence from research
into practice “in a way that
describes the benefits for individual
patient care or system-wide
improvements,” according to SHPA.
Key outcomes will include plain
English fact sheets that can be
understood by the general public,
along with govt decision makers.
SHPA President, Sue Kirsa, said
the organisation had considered
what was top of mind on the
government’s agenda “and also
how that involved pharmacists
working at the coal-face of
providing care”.
She said stand-out issues
identified included e-health and
Personally Controlled Electronic
Health Records; the ongoing
National Health and Hospital
Reform and the interplay between
Medicare Locals and Local Hospital
Networks; and supporting the
recognition of pharmacists as
advanced practitioners.
“Success for this role will be the
ability to review the literature and
unpublished material - especially
from Australian studies - and to
translate this so that consumers
and government decision makers
can understand how pharmacists
can have the best impact,” she said.
Kirsa added that SHPA wanted to
be able to harness the innovation
that is taking place both here and
internationally.
“We want to highlight the ways
that pharmacists can make a
difference and improve medicines
management and make that
understandable to all.”
For more details on the new SHPA
research role CLICK HERE.
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