Collaboration is key as Hospital Pharmacists spotlight medicines safety
The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) has marked the culmination of Medicines Safety Week and build-up to World Antimicrobial Awareness Week by reiterating the indispensable role of pharmacists both in interdisciplinary hospital teams and bridging care gaps to the community and residential aged care.
Chief Executive Kristin Michaels says medicines safety is everyone’s business, and collaboration is key.
‘We echo the Australian Medical Association (AMA)’s reminder this week that medicine safety needs to remain a key priority for policy makers.
‘Interdisciplinary approaches to patient care that harness the combined skills of expert Hospital Pharmacists and their clinical colleagues have been proven to reduce medication-related harms, optimise medication use, decrease hospital length of stay and reduce readmissions and their associated Medicare costs.
‘Hospitals Pharmacists are at the frontier of medicines safety, leading innovations such as Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) that benefit Australians in complex care settings.
‘To leverage this specialist skill, we call for investment in the sustainability of our profession, through the commissioning of a ten-year National Pharmacy Workforce Plan, to help lead and embed #MedsSafetyWeek principles year-round.’
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week begins on Friday 18 November; SHPA Infectious Diseases Specialty Practice Chair Dr Minyon Avent says antimicrobials are life-saving medications, but not without risk.
‘Pharmacists need to work with doctors and nurses to ensure they know how to optimise antimicrobials.
‘Antibiotics are powerful tools but knowing when to use them makes you the master of these tools. Every pharmacist has a role to play to ensure that the right antibiotic, at the right dose, for the right duration, is applied for every patient.
Dr Avent says antimicrobial resistance has been identified as one of the greatest threats to human health today.
‘The prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens is rising worldwide. Patients with infections due to resistant bacteria experience delayed recovery and treatment failure and are more likely to die than patients with infections from non-resistant bacteria.
‘We strongly support this year’s theme “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together” – pharmacists play a vital role in optimising antimicrobial therapy which can minimise antimicrobial resistance, preserving the longevity of antibiotics as a reliable and effective treatment.’
View information and resources on World Antimicrobial Awareness Week via the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.