Pharmacy: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives in Australia

A special issue of Pharmacy (ISSN 2226-4787). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacy Practice and Practice-Based Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2023) | Viewed by 5460

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
Interests: medication optimisation in neonates; medication use in pregnancy and breast feeding; research into the impact of resilience training and development; pharmacy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special issue aims to present high-quality research articles, review articles, and discussions that address innovations in pharmacy practice and pharmacy education in Australia. The COVID-19 pandemic placed immense strain on the healthcare system, which required rapid change and flexibility to meet the demands of maintaining high-quality patient care. As such, many pharmacy innovations across practice and education were implemented in a very short timeframe. In addition, Australia has recently experienced several natural disasters, including bush fires, flooding and drought in both metropolitan and rural areas, requiring innovations in healthcare to meet the needs of patients in emergency situations.

I invite articles that address innovations in pharmacy practice and education on topics that may include but not limited to the following:

  • Innovations in pharmacy practice.
  • Innovations in pharmacy education and training, including undergraduate and postgraduate programs as well as those in the pharmacy workforce.
  • Pharmacy workforce innovations including expanded scope of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
  • Innovative ways to use technology that impacts pharmacy practice and education (e.g., digital health).
  • Innovations in pharmacy practice developed during natural disasters to address patient care in emergency situations.

Dr. Karen Whitfield
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmacy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Pharmacy practice innovations
  • Pharmacy practice
  • Pharmacy education
  • Digital health and technology
  • Pharmacy expanded scope

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 502 KiB  
Article
The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Managed Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Service for Vancomycin—A Pilot Study
by Paul Firman, Ken-Soon Tan, Alexandra Clavarino, Meng-Wong Taing, Sally Dixon, Helender Singh and Karen Whitfield
Pharmacy 2022, 10(6), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy10060173 - 12 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2234
Abstract
Background: In recent years, pharmacists in Australia have been able to expand their scope to include the provision of a range of services. Although evidence has demonstrated the benefits of pharmacist-managed TDM services, recent studies have shown that these services are not prominent [...] Read more.
Background: In recent years, pharmacists in Australia have been able to expand their scope to include the provision of a range of services. Although evidence has demonstrated the benefits of pharmacist-managed TDM services, recent studies have shown that these services are not prominent within Australia and that the current TDM workflow may not be optimal. Methods: An interventional pilot study was conducted of a pharmacist-managed TDM program for vancomycin at a tertiary hospital in Australia. Results: In total, 15 pharmacists participated in the program. They performed 50.5% of the medication-related pathology over the intervention period. Pharmacist involvement in the TDM process was more likely to lead to appropriate TDM sample collection (OR 87.1; 95% CI = 11.5, 661.1) and to an appropriate dose adjustment (OR 19.1; 95% CI = 1.7, 213.5). Pharmacists demonstrated increased confidence after the education and credentialling package was provided. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a credentialling package for pharmacists can improve knowledge, skills, and confidence around the provision of pharmacist-managed TDM services for vancomycin. This may lead to the evolution of different roles and workflows enabling pharmacists to contribute more efficiently to improving medication safety and use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacy: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives in Australia)
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8 pages, 235 KiB  
Article
Patients’ Opinions towards the Services of Pharmacists Based in General Practice
by Thilini Sudeshika, Mark Naunton, Kwang C. Yee, Louise S. Deeks, Gregory M. Peterson and Sam Kosari
Pharmacy 2022, 10(4), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy10040078 - 7 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2459
Abstract
Pharmacists have been included in general practice teams to provide non-dispensing services for patients. In Australia, pharmacists’ role in general practice has been slowly expanding. However, there is a paucity of research to explore patients’ opinions toward pharmacist-led services in general practice. This [...] Read more.
Pharmacists have been included in general practice teams to provide non-dispensing services for patients. In Australia, pharmacists’ role in general practice has been slowly expanding. However, there is a paucity of research to explore patients’ opinions toward pharmacist-led services in general practice. This study aimed to assess patient awareness, perceived needs, and satisfaction with these services. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a purposeful sample of patients who visited six general practices in the Australian Capital Territory that included pharmacists in their team. The survey was informed by the literature and pre-tested. The survey was distributed to two samples: patients who had seen a pharmacist and those who had not seen a pharmacist. Of 100 responses received, 86 responses were included in the analysis: patients who had seen a pharmacist (n = 46) and patients who had not seen a pharmacist (n = 40). Almost all the patients who utilised pharmacist-led services were highly satisfied with those services. Among patients who had not seen a pharmacist, 50% were aware of the existence of general practice pharmacists. Patients who had visited the pharmacist rated higher scores for perceived needs. Patient satisfaction towards the pharmacist-led services in general practices was very high, and patients supported the expansion of these services. However, awareness of the availability of general practice pharmacist services could be improved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacy: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives in Australia)
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