Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Pharmacies to start drug education
The Timaru Herald
Last updated 05:00 14/07/2009
South Canterbury pharmacies may soon have a role educating patients about their medication use under a new scheme funded by the district health board.
The idea is to free-up hospital beds and save money by preventing the elderly, ill, and disabled from being hospitalised or re-hospitalised.
A study on medical use by the Pharmaceutical Society in 2007 found 1.5 per cent of hospital admissions were related to drug therapy problems.
The cost of hospitalising each patient for about five days was estimated at $4500.
Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand chief executive Annabel Young said that if, for example, pharmacies were paid $200 to manage and educate a person and their medication, hospitals could save more than $4300 by preventing each patient from being re-hospitalised.
A medicine management programme and medication use review are options available to all district health boards, but South Canterbury is looking at funding only the latter.
Ms Young said some people were on a complicated medication regime. With the funding pharmacies received, they could review clients' drugs and teach them about why they needed to take it.
"Some people are under-dosing, so the whole idea is saying; `your doctor thinks you should take these pills three times a day', and then helping them to understand why they are doing it. It is not second-guessing the doctor but helping patients stay out of hospital."
South Canterbury District Health Board planning and funding general manager Margaret Hill said medication use review was an assessment of patients' use of medicine and their understanding of, and adherence to, their medication regime.
Local pharmacists had to be trained before starting the service. That had been held up by swine flu and services would start soon.
Pharmacists said people often did not know why they had to take their medication, and when told, were more likely to follow the pharmacist's and doctor's directions.
The lack of medication knowledge was put down to busy doctors or the forgetfulness of clients.
Moyle's Pharmacy manager Ross Carrick said his business was undergoing training and would be ready to educate clients in two to three months.
"Anything you can do to help people take their medication at the right time and in the right way is beneficial, but it comes down to the time factor. I think it will be a really great system."
Unichem Timaru Pharmacy manager Neil Savage said the service would be free if funded by the SCDHB. Some people who do not meet the requirements could receive the service privately.
He added that his pharmacy had not signed a contract with the SCDHB and so the service was not a certainty.
Patients needing the service will be identified by hospitals, general practitioners, and pharmacies.
Ms Young said the funding each pharmacy received would depend on the number of patients provided with the service. Some pharmacies could service thousands, others tens.
-Herald correspondent
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/2590541/Pharmacies-to-start-drug-education
The Timaru Herald
Last updated 05:00 14/07/2009
South Canterbury pharmacies may soon have a role educating patients about their medication use under a new scheme funded by the district health board.
The idea is to free-up hospital beds and save money by preventing the elderly, ill, and disabled from being hospitalised or re-hospitalised.
A study on medical use by the Pharmaceutical Society in 2007 found 1.5 per cent of hospital admissions were related to drug therapy problems.
The cost of hospitalising each patient for about five days was estimated at $4500.
Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand chief executive Annabel Young said that if, for example, pharmacies were paid $200 to manage and educate a person and their medication, hospitals could save more than $4300 by preventing each patient from being re-hospitalised.
A medicine management programme and medication use review are options available to all district health boards, but South Canterbury is looking at funding only the latter.
Ms Young said some people were on a complicated medication regime. With the funding pharmacies received, they could review clients' drugs and teach them about why they needed to take it.
"Some people are under-dosing, so the whole idea is saying; `your doctor thinks you should take these pills three times a day', and then helping them to understand why they are doing it. It is not second-guessing the doctor but helping patients stay out of hospital."
South Canterbury District Health Board planning and funding general manager Margaret Hill said medication use review was an assessment of patients' use of medicine and their understanding of, and adherence to, their medication regime.
Local pharmacists had to be trained before starting the service. That had been held up by swine flu and services would start soon.
Pharmacists said people often did not know why they had to take their medication, and when told, were more likely to follow the pharmacist's and doctor's directions.
The lack of medication knowledge was put down to busy doctors or the forgetfulness of clients.
Moyle's Pharmacy manager Ross Carrick said his business was undergoing training and would be ready to educate clients in two to three months.
"Anything you can do to help people take their medication at the right time and in the right way is beneficial, but it comes down to the time factor. I think it will be a really great system."
Unichem Timaru Pharmacy manager Neil Savage said the service would be free if funded by the SCDHB. Some people who do not meet the requirements could receive the service privately.
He added that his pharmacy had not signed a contract with the SCDHB and so the service was not a certainty.
Patients needing the service will be identified by hospitals, general practitioners, and pharmacies.
Ms Young said the funding each pharmacy received would depend on the number of patients provided with the service. Some pharmacies could service thousands, others tens.
-Herald correspondent
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/2590541/Pharmacies-to-start-drug-education