THE Pharmacy Board of Australia has had a keen focus on research, with the profession-specific annual report summary looking at its work during 2017 released on Fri.
One area of interest was around compounding of sterile injectable medicines, while the Board has also been looking at notifications (complaints) about pharmacists, with the aim of providing an evidence base to better inform the development of regulatory standards in line with the regulatory principles of the National Scheme.
Of the 53 statutory offence notifications made, 48 were closed, with most of the new matters relating to advertising breaches.
Thirteen matters were connected to "title protection" where people inappropriately used the title Pharmacist when they were not entitled to do so.
During the year 200 pharmacists across Australia were monitored for health, performance and/or conduct, with the summary indicating 25 cases on the ground of conduct, 14 for health reasons, 42 for performance, 15 prohibited practitioners/students and 79 cases linked to suitability/eligibility for registration.
A pilot survey of interns and preceptors was also conducted to inform understandings of issues relevant to the quality of the intern training experience.
Lastly, the Board and pharmacy stakeholders funded and participated in the review of the "National competency standards framework for pharmacists in Australia 2016".
This work is to guide the development of a set of pharmacist tools which are anticipated for release during the next reporting period.
CLICK HERE to access the report.
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