The feature articles below are "opinion" pieces and reflect the views of the individual authors. They are not the views of AusPharm.net.au P/L, its directors or editorial group unless explicitly stated to be so.
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Opinion
Evidence for MMR benefits grows :: Debbie Rigby : 31/8/2009 : 
The study published in Circulation: Heart Failure last week (here) demonstrated the benefits of HMRs for patients with heart failure. There is a growing body of evidence on the benefits of HMRs and RMMRs in Australia. This comes at an opportune time when both services are under review by the Department of Health and Ageing and negotiations for the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement commence.
Another article by Australian researchers was published last week in Drugs and Aging (here) on the impact of RMMRs. Prasad Nishtala, Sarah Hilmer, Andrew McLachlan, Paul Hannan and Tim Chen used the Drug Burden Index to demonstrate the benefits of RMMRs. More... 
Where was the vision? :: Michael Scavone : 25/8/2009 : In today's feature Michael Scavone asks where the vision was in Guild President Sclavos' recent address to the National Press Club.
"In my view, a great opportunity to advocate for pharmacy reform was missed. What better audience could one have than a large group of journalists waiting to hear from the Guild President about the great benefits pharmacy could bring to health care? Instead, what we heard was what nice, honest people pharmacists are and how willing they are to do things for nothing, because the primary care infrastructure is already there." More...
Pharmacy Women's Congress delivered its promise :: : 18/8/2009 : 
The focus of the congress was ‘Gaining knowledge, sharing experiences, building futures’ and the congress organizing committee certainly delivered a program that did all of this and more.
AusPharm's 'woman on the spot' reports on the weekend's program.
"For anyone who has previously thought that the Pharmacy Women’s Congress is an elitist group of women meeting to dish it to the male race I would strongly suggest that you attend the next congress in August 2010 in Hobart and enjoy the camaraderie and fantastic program that will be on offer." More...
Chlorodyne - Universal Panacea? :: Geoff Miller : 14/8/2009 : 
After we published Murray Felstead's piece about Chlorodyne earlier this week, Geoff Miller, from the Australian Academy of Pharmacy History, got in touch and sent along a piece he'd written for the Academy's Journal a few years back. He's kindly given us permission to reproduce it on AusPharm.
"Gaunter and gaunter grow the soldiers of the Queen. Hunger and disease played havoc with those fine regiments. But somehow the Medical Corps managed to patch the men up with Chlorodyne and Quinine." ( From Cassell's "History of the Boer War") More...
A tale of two women :: Nurse Julie : 11/8/2009 : Introducing Nurse Julie, who's got a tale or two of pharmacy from the outside looking in.
"Two women, at opposite ends of their lives, both battling with the concept of care we are kind enough to offer in the Emergency Department.
Woman number one is a young lady of about eighteen who presented late one evening. She was tentative, and it took some courage for her to explain to me (and thereby to the waiting room at large, thanks to a remarkable acoustic) that she required the morning after pill." More...
Shifting the gears; initiating change :: Frank Morgan : 4/8/2009 : For many pharmacies, these are difficult times. In today's feature, Frank Morgan reminds us all about what you need to do to stand out from the crowd.
Novelist and philosopher Andre Gide once opened a lecture by noting, “All this has been said before, but since nobody listened, it must be said again”. More...
A lot of the hard stuff has already been done for you :: Irwin the evil chemist : 29/7/2009 : As negotiations for the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement heat up we thought this piece by Irwin the Evil Chemist worth revisiting - it was first published in August 2004.
Oh, and for those of you who've forgotten, we remind you how Irwin got the 'Evil Chemist' moniker.
"We are very, very fortunate that our industry and profession is (for now) insulated. The resources and institutes that exist to keep us afloat are astonishing: wholesalers willing to guarantee our business; a Guild supporting owners and ownership, and fighting the political fight; the various Societies providing training and continuing education. Most customers forgive us our human failings and even keep their custom with us." More...
Don't be a soft target :: : 28/7/2009 : 
AusPharm monitors reports of pharmacy break-ins and robberies across Australia and it seems to us that, lately, the Gold Coast region has been over-represented in our reports. Qld Guild President Tim Logan told us that it would be "fair to say that, as a region, there have been a few more break-ins than one might expect for the Gold Coast. We continue to encourage members to have a good look at their security, minimise stock and use Project Stop, of course."
Our friends at Guild Insurance have also been in touch and have provided us with advice to help ensure that your pharmacy isn't a good target for burglars. More...
‘Real Time Reporting’ of the dispensing of Schedule 8 substances and alprazolam :: : 21/7/2009 : 
The most recent examples of media scrutiny of the 'misuse' of Schedule 8 (and some other) drugs (eg here, here and here) occurred less than two weeks ago following the release of a couple of AIHW reports on medication use in Australia (here and here). 
In response to the media hype Guild President Kos Sclavos was quoted as saying that the issue could be “addressed overnight” if the Government agreed to implement the Guild’s new program called ControlledDrugRx. AusPharm's understanding is, however, that ControlledDrugRx is still in the very early stages of development.
A Tasmanian government initiative, already up and running as a pilot in four pharmacies, is showing great promise in dealing with schedule 8 medication misuse. In today's feature, Mary Sharpe, Chief Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Services Branch of the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services describes their real time reporting project. More...
Getting the best out of our medical and pharmacy resources- are we really using 747s to deliver the milk? :: Ron Batagol : 14/7/2009 : In today's feature Ron Batagol comments on a recent Radio National Life Matters episode and looks at how society might make best use of pharmacists in an increasingly fiscally challenged health system.
"Just as with the prevailing medical practice models, could it be that our pharmacy practice models are also outmoded and not reflective any more of the training, expertise, and even more importantly, the potential health benefits that the community that could derive from better utilisation of its reservoir of highly-trained pharmacists?" More...
Of petrol and the PBS :: Michael Page : 7/7/2009 : In today's feature, Mike Page has a look at the community pharmacy pricing model, comparing it to that of fuel retailers.
"The taxpayer pays once for petrol but twice for PBS-subsidised medicines; firstly in income taxes and secondly at the pharmacy. One would think therefore, that in contrast with the way the fuel retailers operated in the past, the pricing systems used by pharmacies would be clear, logical, consistent and transparent." More...
Pharmacist employee wages – where to now? :: Michael Scavone : 1/7/2009 : Much has been posted on AusPharmList about this subject matter recently. Last week's AusPharm poll indicated 92% pharmacist employee dissatisfaction with the current system. The poll showed that 49% of employees consider their wages dreadful while 43% consider that wages could be better.
Is anyone surprised by this? I believe not!
How did the level of pharmacist employee wages fall so far behind compared to other professions and, historically, even within the profession? In my opinion there are two reasons for this. The first is the existence of a very strong employer focused pro business group, the Pharmacy Guild (PGA) and the second is because the organisation charged with representing pharmacist employees, APESMA, has been relatively ineffectual in the very complex and difficult areas of Industrial Relations (IR). More...
Employee pharmacists' wages and working conditions :: Geoff March, President, Pharmacists Division of APESMA : 29/6/2009 : AusPharmList has made fascinating reading in recent weeks as many community pharmacy practitioners struggle with a real sense of frustration around their profession and their own ability to effectively consistently contribute to their patients' health and welfare.
There are two aspects contributing to this frustration; firstly the feeling of a real lack of appreciation of their contribution as evidenced by the angst over remuneration and working conditions; and secondly about the continuing focus on a supply model for community pharmacy and the refusal of the Guild to break free of this “old thinking” practice model. More...
A fair crack of the whip :: Bill Arnold : 28/6/2009 : I remember many many years ago hearing a senior (=old) Guild official admonishing us young agitators by telling us that we did not know all the wondrous things “we have done for you”, and how “you are in a good position (now) because of our (past) hard work”. One of us reminded him that our future was in front of us, his behind him.
That said, I see a troublesome lack of perspective in some of the discussions now taking place, and a brief look at ancient times might be a good thing. More...
Codeine containing products should go to schedule 3 :: Michael Scavone : 2/6/2009 : At its meeting later this month, the National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee will consider proposals to up-schedule codeine containing products from Schedule 2 to Schedule 3. It will also look at a some related issues, including limiting pack size.
No doubt many submissions have been put forward to the committee and there has certainly been much discussion on AusPharmList (eg here) over the years on OTC codeine. More...
How Austin Powers and Ben Folds affect Australian consumer behaviour :: somepharmacyguy : 26/5/2009 : "I just drove to the store for some Preparation H" - Ben Folds, Rocking the Suburbs
"Preparation A to G failed, I call this device Preparation H" - Dr Evil, Austin Powers
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somepharmacy guy is back, with a quirky tale on the influence of TV and the Internet. More...
Marketing: replacing inertia with action :: Frank Morgan : 19/5/2009 : Being interested in success is not enough.
Any marketing plan for your business requires total commitment; commitment to spending time, commitment to spending money and commitment to continually grow.
You can all feel the sizzle and excitement of new ideas, but you don’t need to go broke implementing them. More...
Pharmacist prescribing and funding recognition for pharmacists - where's the leadership when we really need it? :: Ron Batagol : 12/5/2009 : In today's AusPharm feature Ron Batagol asks why it is, when optometrists have access to the PBS and nurses look set to follow, that pharmacists are lagging behind?
"In the recent AusPharmList discussion on the issue of prescribing rights for pharmacists (here), participants have, quite correctly in my view, noted that this matter is one that, if effectively implemented, would represent a shift of quantum proportions in the way that pharmacists carry out their professional activities and, therefore, the issue must to be driven by the peak pharmacy professional organisations working together." More...
Under a bushel: Rob Smallwood - guitar maker :: : 5/5/2009 : Back in February we ran the first of our 'Under a bushel' features exposing the hitherto hidden (photography) talents of David Haworth.
We recently got wind of another 'lister with a special hidden talent and snuck up on him while he wasn't looking.
Rob Smallwood is a NSW south coast pharmacist who makes guitars on the side (or is that a guitar maker who practises pharmacy on the side?). More...
Record Keeping for Tax Purposes :: Ian Wessling : 28/4/2009 : In today's AusPharm feature JR Pharmacy Services' Manager Ian Wessling talks about some of the things you need to do to keep the tax man happy.
"Is the office space at the pharmacy over flowing with till printouts, invoices and POS Reports? Is it starting to spread to your garage and home office?
Before you throw it out or start renting short term storage to hold it you need to consider what you are required to hold for tax purposes." More...
This features page will be updated with new opinion pieces regularly. Unlike the hard copy publications that publish all their content once each week/fortnight/month we will publish on a rolling basis.
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