Technicians over the border. - jppr - The Society of Hospital ...

Type A: Incorrect drug, incorrect strength of drug,
incorrect dose form/formulation. Incorrect storage
conditions and any drug missing and not readily
available after hours.
Type B: Unnecessary drug, inadequate quantities,
drug missing but readily accessed from an after hours
area or an alternative ward.
Technicians are assessed for competency
approximately every six months by a pharmacist randomly
selecting and reviewing 100 items.
Formalisation of training for technicians is yet to be
implemented in Australia. Currently in South Australia
the availability of certificates III and IV and/or a diploma
are being considered. Suggestions are also being made
for changes in legislation to enable technicians to
dispense with checking by other technicians, following
pre-checking of the order by a pharmacist.
As discussions are currently in progress for the
possible introduction of the Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme to a number of hospitals in South Australia, the
implementation of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
at the Geelong Hospital was of great interest to all staff at
the Lyell McEwin Pharmacy Department. From my
observations, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme offered
a number of advantages with the most obvious being
that patients are issued with a minimum of one month
supply of medications covered by the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme, and also the ability of the pharmacy to
claim for reimbursement of medication costs through the
scheme. The major disadvantage appeared to be the
increase in record keeping. The administrative side of
the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme appeared to be fairly
involved which made me aware that the issue of an
increase in staffing would need to be addressed if the
scheme was implemented. However, many of the problems
observed were minor and I feel could be dealt with by the
provision of training and advice.
During the week I spent at the Geelong Pharmacy, I
gained valuable insight into a number of areas of the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and I feel that I have a
much clearer idea of the process and issues. In addition,
formalisation of a training regime for technicians is currently
in the process of being addressed in South Australia, and
I hope that the knowledge and understanding of other
hospital regimes gained at Geelong will enable me to
contribute to this process in my hospital and state.
I would like to express my appreciation to Amgen for
the opportunity to interact, discuss and thoroughly enjoy
the time spent in the Geelong Hospital Pharmacy
Department. Additionally, my thanks go to the SHPA for
the advice and guidance I received while applying for
the Technician Grant. My thanks and appreciation also
go to the many staff at Geelong who allowed me to watch
and learn how they carried out daily duties, patiently
answered my many questions and made me feel welcome.
Sandy Bollenhagen
Senior Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy Department
Lyell McEwin Health Service
Haydown Road
Elizabeth Vale SA 5112
Australia
E-mail: Sandra.Bollenhagen@nwahs.sa.gov.au
Medimate: Medicines without the Mix-ups
To the Editor,
Early in 2004 the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of
Australia (SHPA) and the National Prescribing Service
(NPS) sent a letter to all hospital pharmacists to inform
them about the Community Quality Use of Medicines
Program. This is a new NPS program to help consumers
better understand their medicines.
Bulk supplies of Medimate (the brochure for the
program) were also sent to hospital pharmacy
departments in mid-January. However, we have heard that
many of these have not been received.
SHPA and NPS encourage pharmacists to provide
Medimate to inpatients at risk of medication misadventure,
patients about to be discharged, outpatients, and patients
in emergency departments. Medimate may usefully
accompany hospital computer-generated (or pharmacist
written) medicines lists that are prepared for individual
consumers.
Medimate can be ordered from the specific web site
. Simply give your details and
the number required.
NPS has also received feedback from SHPA regarding
Medimate for future consideration. This includes:
addressing the issue about a medicine name versus
brand;
highlighting issues relating to allergies and previous
adverse reactions to medicines;
ensuring consumers understand that the medicines
list can be extended by printing off a page from the
NPS web site;
ensuring SHPA reviews future drafts.
Other feedback from pharmacists has identified the
importance of increasing the space provided for listing
medicines—to ensure that Medimate is actually used and
retained by consumers.
It is pleasing to note that initial results from our
consumer survey, looking at the uptake and awareness
of this program, are very positive with 58% of Australians
aware of our key messages. We hope we can continue to
improve this awareness both at the national and local
level.
NPS will continue to work with SHPA and we will
keep pharmacists informed about the progress of this
program via our newsletters and publications, web sites
and via the Journal.
If you have any comments or would like more
information please telephone NPS on 02 8217 8700 or email
info@nps.org.au. We look forward to your support.
Lynn Weekes, BPharm, MSc, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
National Prescribing Service Limited
Level 7, 418A Elizabeth Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia
E-mail: lweekes@nps.org.au