Our research
Research at NPS aims to identify and develop innovative programs to improve medicine and medical test use, and ultimately the health of the community.
Our research activities help us:
- identify the gaps in the way medicines and medical tests are used and who is most at risk in order to develop targeted strategies to close those gaps
- add to the body of knowledge on 'what works' and 'what doesn't' in promoting and improving the safe and effective use of medicines and medical tests
- test innovative models or methods for achieving sustainable improvements in the use of medicines and medical tests and patient outcomes.
NPS research projects and partnerships
Complementary medicines
- Complementary medicines: Information use and needs of consumers and health professionals (publications available)
Consumers' knowledge, attitudes, awareness and behaviour
- Living with multiple medicines: an in-depth examination of experiences and management of multiple medicines
- National Census of Medicines Use (publications available)
Health professional initiatives to improve decisions and practice around medicines use
- Prescribing Data in General Practice Demonstration (PDGPD) project
- Improving asthma device use: Innovative models for inter-professional practice. ARC Linkage Grant with the University of Sydney.
- Improving the uptake of evidence-based drug information and decision support (publications available)
- Evaluation of the safety, quality and usefulness of electronic prescribing systems in general practice (publication available)
- Understanding and influencing prescribing practice (publications available)
Health professionals' knowledge, attitudes, awareness and behaviour
- Drug interaction decision support – What do GPs and pharmacists want? (publications available)
- Medical practitioner utilisation of new drugs: A qualitative study of general practitioners, endocrinologists and psychiatrists
Medication safety
- Medication safety in the community: a review of the literature (publications available)
- Medication safety in Australia: current state of medication safety activities (November 2007) (publications available)
Research at NPS will achieve its aims through the development and maintenance of collaborations both within and outside NPS. It will establish, build and maintain partnerships with national and international organisations with similar research interests in order to maximise opportunities to develop research activities, attract funding and conduct research.
The focus of research at NPS is on:
- building relevant research capacity and skills in Australia and within NPS
- targeted research to understand how consumers and health professionals make decisions around medicines and medical test use
- targeted research to improve medicine and medical test use by consumers, and prescribing and advice by health professionals.