ADVANCED Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has released a newly updated pharmacy practice standard for medication safety, now available through early view in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research.
The most comprehensive update for pharmacists involved in medication safety programs in many years, the standards reaffirm a core message that "medication safety is everyone's responsibility", requiring system-wide effort, senior leadership, and strong interprofessional collaboration.
They also recognise the essential role of medication safety pharmacists as medicines management experts who lead, support, and embed safe practices across health services - from clinical governance and high-risk medicines oversight to digital transformation and system design.
"Reducing harm requires more than good intentions - it demands deliberate, system-wide strategies supported by informed leadership, interprofessional collaboration and strong clinical governance," said project lead Toni Howell, Chair of AdPha's Medication Safety Leadership Committee.
"This is where the role of specialist pharmacists becomes not only valuable but essential."
Howell pointed to medication safety pharmacists' focus on system-level improvements rather than the needs of individuals, such as packaging or labelling changes to high-risk medicines to reduce the risk of overdose, or driving the implementation of medicines stewardship services to optimise patient outcomes.
AdPha President Tom Simpson said the refreshed standards reflect the growing complexity of medicines management and the critical leadership role that pharmacists play in addressing preventable medicines harm.
"Medication-related harm continues to challenge even the most engaged health services," Simpson explained.
"These standards set a clear national benchmark for what good looks like - and the level of leadership, collaboration and clinical governance required to achieve it."
He highlighted the essential role pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and assistants all play in medication safety programs.
"The Standards recognise their contribution and set the foundations for safer, more integrated medicines management across Australia's health system," Simpson said.
The standards are available HERE.
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