Practice Update
Malaria prophylaxis: recommendations for travellers
Travellers to malaria-endemic regions should seek guidance from their healthcare providers, including their pharmacist, on safe and effective strategies to prevent malaria. By Dr Sonal Patel BPharm, GCPH, PhD, MACP …
Never assume, even with electronic prescriptions
Without due attention, technological advances in health care can mean a heightened risk for pharmacists and patients, PDL warns In its latest practice alert, PDL shares information about avoiding errors …
Identifying complications of diabetes: the pharmacist’s role
This article discusses the various medical conditions that may occur more frequently with, or as a complication of diabetes. By Karalyn Huxhagen BPharm, FPS, FANZCAP (CommPharm, PrimCare), community pharmacist and …
Communication breakdowns and medication adherence
Breakdowns in communication can adversely affect a patient’s medication adherence. Fostering an open and continuous dialogue between patient and pharmacist will lead to improved medication adherence and better health outcomes. …
Vaccine hesitancy: nurturing confidence in vaccine hesitant consumers
As pharmacy’s vaccine role continues to expand, and as ambivalence about vaccination grows, pharmacists are increasingly confronting the problem of vaccine hesitancy. This article examines what drives this hesitancy and …
What pharmacists need to consider with urinary tract infections in people living with diabetes
This article highlights the pertinent intricacies of bacterial urinary tract infections in Australian adults with diabetes including pathophysiology, diagnostic and prognostic considerations, therapeutic management, prevention strategies, and the role of …
Hepatitis C: implications for practice
Treatment for chronic hepatitis C has been available through community pharmacies since 2016, but the predicted uptake of treatment has been lower than anticipated. Pharmacists have a key role to …
Supporting the student journey—what do preceptors need to know?
Imagine you are a preceptor in a busy community pharmacy. It is Friday afternoon, and you are expecting a third-year pharmacy student to arrive on Monday morning for a three-week …
Fluoride fundamentals: optimising oral health care
As pharmacists in Australia move towards ‘full scope of practice’, understanding the role of fluoride in dental care is important in promoting oral health and preventing the many conditions that …
Viral hepatitis
By understanding the various subtypes of hepatitis and the latest treatments available, pharmacists have a key role in educating, counselling and the ongoing management of patients with hepatitis. By Dr …
Sports supplements: the role of pharmacists in ensuring safe supplementation
By providing education, guidance and information, pharmacists can play a role in ensuring all purchasers of sport supplements—athletes, their parents, partners or carers—know how to use them safely, writes Karen …
Common non-viral sexually transmitted infections
By being well-informed about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their management, pharmacists can have a positive impact on patient health and wellbeing. This article discusses common non-viral STIs—chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, …