Pharamacists want inclusion in plans

[kiwibird]

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5659999
Pharmacists want part in swine flu planning
NZPA June 17, 2009, 8:17 pm


A pharmacists' organisation wants members of the profession included in regional health planning to combat swine flu, alongside front line medical staff.

The Community Pharmacy Leaders' Forum was concerned the role of pharmacists was not sufficiently recognised in public health strategies, and wanted to be included in planning for the medical response to swine flu.

"Community pharmacies are the first place people go for health advice," spokesman Alan Wham said.

"Pharmacists need more support and need to be better integrated into decisions and actions being taken by public health officials."

Meanwhile, Wellington ambulance paramedics will be donning facemasks as a precaution to protect themselves against swine flu.

From tomorrow, ambulance staff will wear masks on callouts, and in some situations, require their patients to wear them as well.

"Crews attending 111 calls may also have one paramedic assess the patient before the second crew member enters the house," a spokeswoman said

 

[gsgs]

Re: Pharamacists want inclusion in plans

what are pharmacists good for ?
maybe nursing or administering vaccine

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Pharamacists want inclusion in plans

Wednesday, 17 June 2009, 5:19 pm
Press Release: Community Pharmacy Leaders Forum

17 June 2009

Pharmacists provide crucial front line health care

Pharmacists are on the front line of the pandemic, responding to unprecedented volumes of patient queries and anxieties. The Community Pharmacy Leaders? Forum (CPLF) is urging health officials to recognise the crucial role pharmacists play in front line health care and include them in front line planning.

The members of the CPLF point to the current Influenza A (H1N1) crisis which has highlighted the importance of pharmacy during a pandemic and are concerned their role is not sufficiently recognised within public health strategies.

?Community pharmacies are the first place people go for health advice. Pharmacists need more support and need to be better integrated into decisions and actions being taken by public health officials. There is conflicting advice being given to pharmacists by public health units in the various regions,? says the CPLF.

The CPLF encourages all health care officials to provide community pharmacy with the same front line support as other health care providers.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0906/S00106.htm

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Pharamacists want inclusion in plans

more.

Pharmacies could take on more duties to help out overwhelmed GPs, he said.

Christchurch pharmacies would be asked to consider offering home deliveries in a bid to contain the virus. The Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group and Canterbury's Primary Care Pandemic Planning Reference Group will advise pharmacies to prepare for the measure.

Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group chairwoman Carolyn Oakley-Brown said home deliveries were a last resort if "families, friends or members of the community" could not help with the pickup and delivery of medicine.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/swine-flu/2506521/GPs-may-put-off-routine-checks

 

[pinkfrost]

Re: Pharamacists want inclusion in plans

I'm not going to administer vaccine or nurse anyone thanks.

I will continue to answer queries, either in person, or over the phone, and continue to refer people to the appropriate place. I even had one guy ask me back at the end of April whether he should go to Arizona 2 days later. I gave him the url for the MOH Travel Advisory. I don't think I would cancel a trip on a pharmacist's say so.

I have fielded calls from drs trying to obtain Tamiflu for their own quarantined patients (but they need to get it from Public Health). I've spent quite some time sourcing Tamiflu from wholesalers and other pharmacies.

I have advised people about the limitations of the various masks they want to buy. I have explained about how the and sanitisers work and what they do and don't do. I have explained to people that Tamiflu isn't a vaccine, but it is a treatment. I have explained that when their ONLY symptom is a headache I don't think they have influenza and therefore I can't prescribe them Tamiflu.

Most of the advice I have given has not been associated with sale of ANY product at all. It's been free advice and they've walked out better informed but empty handed.

Sorry gsgs, but your remark really peeved me off. I have helped increase people's knowledge of influenza in general and this strain in particular since April 26th. You obviously have no idea what pharmacists do in New Zealand, although I do think I'm better informed on this topic than most pharmacists. We are generally regarded as highly trusted health professionals by the public and they often come to us FIRST because it is free advice.

Unfortunately the MOH didn't include a pharmacist when drawing up a list of the antibiotics to stockpile in case of a pandemic and so they bought 50,000 bottles of flucloxacillin suspension which tastes absolutely foul and is therefore almost useless in a paediatric population. A mildly ill child would often gag and vomit after one dose, let alone one that was extremely unwell. I did try to write to them on this matter and they replied that "we have consulted with Infectious Diseases and Microbiology specialists to draw up this list". The list would have been a darn sight more PRACTICAL if they'd included a pharmacist, GP and a paediatrician. The Microbiologists and IFD specs probably have NO IDEA what it tastes like.

 

[tropical]

Re: Pharamacists want inclusion in plans

#4:
Quote:

Pharmacies could take on more duties to help out overwhelmed GPs, he said.

Christchurch pharmacies would be asked to consider offering home deliveries in a bid to contain the virus. The Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group and Canterbury's Primary Care Pandemic Planning Reference Group will advise pharmacies to prepare for the measure.

Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group chairwoman Carolyn Oakley-Brown said home deliveries were a last resort if "families, friends or members of the community" could not help with the pickup and delivery of medicine.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/swine-f...routine-checks

Pink. in #5 seems to be more right.

Such duties pin-pointed to the pharmacist will not work.

The GP is the one who once must round wider to asses their illnessed patients, and earlier, having meds with them in a bag.

What's the logic in translate all to the pharmacists, when the GP's must first gave the prescription to administering Tamiflu/...?

Much easier is to make decentralized local GP meds stocks (locked), which than could be delivered at once to the patients, or by other means.

The "other means" was already detailed in the UK previous years pandemic plans by the insertion of "buddyes", or better now as many thinks, by the usage of the postal service workforce.

The (everywhere worldwide) postal office folks, and the DHL or similar, workplaces are already shaped to delivery envelopes and packages to every corner.

They know exactly the street names, have delivery vehicles, and make daily transports throughout the cities and their suburbs.

If neccessary they could wore shielding gears.

It is needed only to have an daily schedule (twice daily) by all the GP's in the area of the dedicated postman, to collect the GP daily released meds from the GP stocks.

Or, alternatively, to collect the daily needed meds from the pharmacy stocks.
That way the pharmacist need not to transport anything, or wonder where lives the mass of patients.

Also, it would be good policy, to not allow the patients roaming into the pharmacy rooms, because that's mean infection spreading (the same for the banks/...) -
- the instauration of one (or more) window type of prescriptions receiving, and meds releasing (as by night type of workings) must be implemented.

True that the mass of patients will be on the street, or atriums, but to be outside of close rooms and if the population will wear masks, will deminish the risk of infections when waiting the meds.

The paramedic inspection, and the usage of fit masks/gloves (as cited in #1) is a must.

 

[pinkfrost]

Re: Pharmacists want inclusion in plans

Re: Pharmacists want inclusion in plans

We already offer a delivery service. But that is hardly using the expertise of pharmacists. We pay a highschool student to deliver them by pushbike after school.

 

[tropical]

Re: Pharmacists want inclusion in plans

Re: Pharmacists want inclusion in plans

We already offer a delivery service. But that is hardly using the expertise of pharmacists. We pay a highschool student to deliver them by pushbike after school.

I doubt that it could be enaugh in an severe pandemic with more infected schools population, but if it could be done by them ...

Personaly, I should prefere an existing postal delivery.

If they can delivers letters, money or packages, they can do it with drugs also.

If NZ prefers pharmacy delivery, than starts to prepare the logistics ...