Clinical
At-home prostate test launched
A controversial test has now been made available for online purchase and at-home use MyHealthTest, an online provider of blood test services, has now added the Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) …
New compounding guidelines now in effect
The Board’s revised guidance on the compounding of sterile injectable medicines kicked in on the first of the month A revised guidance titled ‘Compounding of sterile injectable medicines’, has been …
Could pharmacists really help reduce emergency visits?
A study has found pharmacist intervention may potentially lead to reduced risk of ED visits and hospital readmissions Danish researchers have looked at the role of pharmacists in reducing hospital …
How good are pharmacists at antimicrobial stewardship?
According to this QLD study, they’re doing quite well at delaying ‘wait and see’ prescriptions – but improvements can be made A number of strategies have been trialled in primary …
Minimal impact
Mixed findings for benefits of tamper-resistant oxycodone The introduction of tamper-resistant oxycodone formulations in Australia in early 2014 has led to little change in the levels of population-level opioid use …
Just lighting up once turns into daily addiction for most
At least two-thirds of those who try cigarettes just once will go on to become daily smokers, new research finds Researchers said that data obtained from the UK, US, Australia …
Ibuprofen risk not a load of bollocks
Moderate use of the popular NSAID has been found to impact hormonal balance in healthy men, potentially leading to reduced libido, infertility, depressed mood and fatigue In the first in-depth …
If it ain’t broke…
A new systematic review and meta-analysis has found no link between calcium or vitamin D supplements and a lowered risk of fractures in older adults living at home Practice guidelines …
Helping at-risk patients
Pharmacists are inextricably linked to medications and may have a role in helping those at risk of suicide, say pharmacy researchers A scoping review has found some evidence that pharmacists …
One in ten
One in ten errors reported to PDL involve incidents in the pharmacy where a person receives medication intended for another Consequences include serious harm to the consumer and professional risk …
Should you recommend NRT to pregnant women?
With ambiguous messages surrounding nicotine replacement therapy in pregnancy, Aussie experts have tried to pin down the best advice Smoking cessation experts and public health physicians from the University of …
Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics rife
New hospital survey reveals 60% of antibiotics given to patients after surgery were prescribed inappropriately The Surgical National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (SNAPS) is an annual survey of antimicrobial prescribing for …