Pharmacy focus for HCH
April 1, 2016
COMMUNITY pharmacy must
be central to care of patients with
chronic health conditions, the
Pharmacy Guild of Australia has
said in welcoming the Turnbull
Government’s reforms to the
primary care of patients with
chronic health conditions (PD yest).
The Society of Hospital
Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA)
and the Pharmaceutical Society
of Australia (PSA) also weighed in
with supportive pharmacist-centred
comments.
Unless the crucial role of
community pharmacies is fully
integrated into the Health Care
Home (HCH) concept, patient
outcomes would be sub-optimal,
the Guild said in a special release.
Guild national president George
Tambassis said it is indisputable
that the Quality Use of Medicines,
with a strong focus on active
medication management, advice
and support through community
pharmacies, was essential in
managing the health of patients
with chronic health conditions.
Many of these patients are reliant
on ten or more medicines to
manage their conditions, Tambassis
said, adding: “the potential is
high for adverse drug events and
inadvertent medicine misadventure
with these patients.”
PSA national president Joe
Demarte said pharmacists
welcomed the Government’s
announcement and supported the
concept of a patient-centred Health
Care Home, especially for patients
with chronic disease.
“Team-based models of primary
care have shown to be effective in
response to growing health system
demands created by increasingly
complex patients,” Demarte said.
Furthermore, the PSA would
welcome discussions with the
Federal Government on the
inclusion of pharmacists in the trial
to help improve patient care, the
PSA president added.
“PSA has previously highlighted
evidence showing pharmacist
interventions for consumers with
chronic disease improve health
outcomes and reduce misuse of
medication.”
Society of Hospital Pharmacists
of Australia ceo Kristin Michaels
said the “Health Care Homes’
initiative paved the way for
better coordination of care,
better outcomes for patients with
chronic disease, reduced hospital
admissions and potential cost
savings.
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