NPS Member Update
March 2008
1. Final NPS Executive Manager
appointed
2. Deadline approaching for National QUM Awards 2008
3. Early registration closing
soon for NMS
4. Enrolments open for clinical
audit
5. NPS campaign needs volunteer
pharmacists, doctors and nurses!
6. GPs and pharmacists urged to
support complementary medicines research
7. NPS community activities
8. Media
matters
9. Dates
for your diary
1.
Final NPS Executive Manager appointed
The new NPS executive
structure has been completed by the appointment of Mr Jonathan Dartnell as
Executive Manager, Innovation and Learning. He will start with NPS in April.
Jonathan has an excellent
knowledge of quality use of medicines having previously worked with NPS on
projects such as the original Drug Use Evaluation and as a current member of
the NPS Prescribing Intervention Working Group (PIWG), which guides the
direction of NPS therapeutic programs for health professionals. Jonathan is
currently working with Therapeutic Guidelines.
2.
Deadline approaching for National
Award categories include:
For more information and details on how to enter go to
the National
QUM Awards page on the NPS website.
Early
registrations for the National Medicines Symposium (NMS) will close on 7 April. The stimulating program for
this year's event will provide a forum for discussion and debate about
A record
number of abstracts have been submitted from across
For full
details on the National Medicines Symposium please visit www.nps.org.au
GPs who
would like to improve their clinical practice for better patient health can now
enrol for the current NPS clinical audit: Optimising
management of type 2 diabetes.
This
clinical audit will assist GPs to review their management of patients with type
2 diabetes, including the use of antidiabetic agents, and the monitoring and
management of coexisting dyslipidaemia and hypertension to minimise
cardiovascular risk.
Participating
GPs are requested to identify 20 patients for the audit. Enrolment forms are
available in the current edition of NPS
Prescribing Practice Review (No 40),
or email info@nps.org.au or call
An
e-version of the same audit will be available later this year.
Following the call for volunteers in the February 2008 Member Update, there is still a shortage of volunteer doctors, pharmacists and nurses to present the Common colds need common sense, not antibiotics staff updates to child care centres around Australia. To date 540 child care centres have registered for a presentation.
Volunteers present an interactive 45-60 minute session and answer questions related to common colds and antibiotics.
Child care centre staff updates are presented between June and August, usually on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening after working hours.
Volunteers will not have far to travel as NPS will match each volunteer with a child care centre close to them. Volunteers can undertake one or several presentations.
To find out more and to volunteer, simply register interest and availability at www.nps.org.au/coldhelp or call (02) 8217 8700 and ask for 'Common Colds customer service'.
6. GPs and pharmacists urged to support complementary medicines research
NPS
is currently conducting research, which will be used to improve access to
balanced and accurate information about complementary medicines.
A
random sample of GPs and pharmacists across
The
questionnaire follows on from a literature review and a recent survey of
complementary medicine users. It will assess current complementary medicine
knowledge, information needs and preferences for information source of GPs and
pharmacists. Once the survey is completed, a series of focus groups will be
held to further inform the project.
The
survey is one part of a major four-part research project being undertaken by
NPS in the area of complementary medicines.
7. NPS community activities
For the latest news on NPS community activities see February
Community e-news. Highlights
include the election of Ms Diane Walsh, NPS Community QUM Working Group Chair,
as Chair of the Top End Division of General Practice. Diane is the first
consumer representative to chair a division of general practice.
8. Media
matters
NPS has
been extremely busy on the media front over recent weeks, thanks largely to
attention surrounding the sleeping medication zolpidem (marketed in
Members may
have seen, read or heard a variety of media interviews given by CEO Dr Lynn
Weekes, and the Manager of the Education and Quality Assurance Program for
Health Professionals, Ms
NPS has
also issued a media
release and fact
sheet in relation to zolpidem (Stilnox). Both can be found on the NPS website along with updated Consumer Medicines Information
(CMI) for Stilnox and other brands of zolpidem.
9. Dates for your diary
·
General Practice, Clinical Data and Quality Prescribing Stakeholder
Forum - Sydney, date to be confirmed (invitation only)
·
Medication Safety Stakeholder consultations - dates to be confirmed
(invitation only)
·
Facilitators' Forum -
·
National Medicines Symposium -
·
National QUM Awards dinner -
·
Annual General Meeting - Sydney, 21 November
·
Members' Planning Day - Sydney, 21 November