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For people living in rural and remote areas, it's often hard to find out about and access medicines, independent medicines information and health professionals. That's why we supported 16 Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) projects that were run by community organisations and local councils with the backing of rural divisions of general practice. Some highlights from these projects included:

• many QUM issues being identified and dealt with, ranging from knowledge about actual medicines being taken and why, to increasing consumer confidence to ask doctors and pharmacists for more medicines information.
• projects reaching into rural communities of over 70,000 people, 5583 health professionals and more than 30 community organisations, such as the Country Women's Association (CWA), Probus, Blue Nurse Educators and Marree Public School.
• 142 events being held across rural and remote Australia, from Bruny Island (Tas) to Kununoppin (WA), top-end communities (NT) and Mt Perry (Qld) to Ceduna (SA), Coonamble (NSW) and Gippsland (Vic), with over 3734 consumers actually involved in rural Quality Use of Medicines workshops.
• seniors, isolated communities, Aboriginal communities, ethnic communities, people with chronic conditions and carers participating in these projects.
• our free resources reaching more communities: Medimate brochure, MedicinesTalk newsletter, Get To Know Your Medicines Kit, and Medicines Line 1300 888 763 available Mon–Fri 9am–6pm Eastern Standard Time, which gives you free, independent information for the cost of a local call. Order now.

To find out about these projects and pick up ideas on running your own rural quality use of medicine activity:

• skim our project summaries below, then go to our full project report for more on each project, or
• download our full project report upfront.

Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc.

Rural Quality Use of Medicines Community Project

Northern Territory
A team of people worked together and held focus group discussions in Galiwin'ku to explore the issues, barriers and opportunities for the principles of Quality Use of Medicines and the generic processes health care staff undertake before recommending treatment with medicines in the local region.

The research project team included the Yolngu people of North East Arnhem Land, interpreters, and health workers with expertise in both traditional and biomedical medicines management and cross-cultural communication.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Broken Hill Multicultural Women's Resource and Information Centre Inc.

Community Quality Use of Medicines Program

New South Wales
Historically, the Broken Hill Multicultural Women's Resource and Information Centre helped migrants to settle into the community and supported aged migrants. The growing multicultural population has meant that the medicines information needs of the community have become varied and complex.

The project undertook a Quality Use of Medicines needs assessment in these ethnic communities and implemented two full-day Health Forums on Community QUM with their local community. The forums included local community pharmacists, health nurses, a dietitian and staff from a local health food store.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Coonamble Health Council, Neighbourhood Centre & Community Health

Coonamble District QUM Project

New South Wales
Coonamble Health Council has volunteers from every sector of the community, including youth, Indigenous, aged, rural and townspeople. They represent the community on health issues and develop community-based responses to local health issues. In partnership with Coonamble Community Health and Coonamble Community Neighbourhood Centre, the Coonamble Health Council identified key medicines issues, barriers and facilitators in the local community. The project developed and delivered a targeted education campaign through direct mail, community radio, presentations and newsletter inserts. The campaign focussed on distributing materials such as the Medimate brochure, and raising awareness of the NPS consumer website.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Department of Health & Human Services

Pills Education Program (PEP) for Rural Tasmania

The PEP project involved 10 communities working together to increase community awareness of issues about the use of medicines and to develop sustainable community strategies to support individuals.

Strategies for improving Quality Use of Medicines in their rural communities included:

• PEP Talks: local pharmacists providing information and education sessions to local community groups
• PEP Pointers: resources developed to maintain a current record of medicines and to improve access to reliable medicines information
• PEP Drops: opportunities for a review of medicines by professionals at community sessions, local pharmacies, community centres, hospitals or their own homes.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Glenelg Outreach Primary Health

Be Responsible, Be Medicines Wise project

Victoria
This project promoted improved use of medicines by working with existing contacts and networks in the Glenelg region to:

• distribute environmental bags to help dispose of old medicines and work with regional pharmacists to achieve this
• distribute resources including Medicines Line fridge magnets, Medimate brochure, Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) brochures, Don't go 'til you know and Common colds need common sense brochures
• Promote current promotional programs already being undertaken by Glenelg Outreach Primary Health.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Kununoppin and Districts Health Region

Kununoppin and Districts Health Region QUM project

Western Australia
Kununoppin health region covers the four local shires of Trayning, Nungarin, Mukinbudin and Mt Marshall, with a total population of about 2,500 people. The isolation of the region contributes to lack of access to a pharmacy and medicines education. As a result, medicines issues have arisen such as:

• stockpiling of medicines
• sharing of medicines
• using out-of-date medicines, and
• dosage issues.

The four shires worked together to undertake quarterly community talks with health professionals, distribute medicines information and place articles in local newsletters about medicines issues. Collection points were set up for the return of unused and out of date medicines, and face-to-face medication reviews were established for aged community members.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Mallee Division of General Practice

Rural Quality Use of Medicines Project

Victoria
The Mallee Division of General Practice identified quality use of medicines (QUM) needs in the population of north-west Victoria and the lower south-west region of NSW as part of their project.

Using this information and research previously conducted by the Division through the Home Medication Review (HMR) and the NPS Facilitator programs, Mallee Division used its network of community groups to target and deliver a series of community presentations. These presentations helped educate the community on medicines issues and distributing information on Home Medicine Reviews, Medicines Line, as well as the Medimate brochure.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Marree Health Service

Marree Community Quality Use of Medication Project 2004

South Australia
Marree is a small town 100 kilometres from Lake Eyre with a population of 110 people and 50 people in the surrounding area. The project increased quality use of medicines (QUM) knowledge in the Marree community and surrounding district, by providing local people with the opportunity to speak to a pharmacist in a friendly and informal way.

The Marree Health Service held two educational sessions in the local community hall with QUM health displays and free medication dosettes. Marree Public School was encouraged to be involved with the sessions that were relevant to a younger audience.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Maryborough District Health Service

RITCH Program (Rural Involvement Towards Communities Health)

Victoria
The RITCH Program provides services to Maryborough and a large number of surrounding communities. These areas have an ageing population with a high use of medicines and challenges such as isolation from public transport, limited access to a pharmacist, uninformed use of natural and complementary therapies and mixed messages on prescribed medications.

With an emphasis on prevention and early intervention, the RITCH program tackled these issues by initiating community consultation with seniors groups, and by holding a public launch and education sessions in six major centres. 'Managing your Medicines' brochures were distributed at the sessions with follow-up seminars reinforcing the quality use of medicines.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Multicultural Mental Health Australia

No More 'Mualagh': Educating Afghani Communities in Rural Areas on Depression and Depression Medication project

South Australia
Multicultural Mental Health Australia and National Ethnic Disability Alliance worked with a group of Afghani consumers in South Australia to provide Afghani people living in rural communities with information on depression and the safe use of antidepressants.

The project included translating existing information on depression medications and making it culturally appropriate, developing information for health professionals on treating depression with Afghani people, and producing quality use of medicines (QUM) community service announcements for ethnic radio.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Perry Shire Council

Rural Quality Use of Medicines Project

Queensland
Mt Perry is 50 kilometres away from the closest pharmacy and the pharmacy is not open over the weekend or after-hours. This situation has raised medicines issues for the people of Mt Perry.

Perry Shire Council conducted the project to increase access to a pharmacist to give reliable and credible information about medicines. The project education sessions helped alleviate feelings of isolation experienced by Mt Perry residents and promoted community knowledge about medicines.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Regional Multicultural Communities Network

Identifying QUM Needs project

South Australia
Regional Multicultural Communities Network is a collaborative partnership which helps empower regional communities. The Network involves the following organisations: Broken Hill Multicultural Women's Resource and Information Centre, Ceduna Multicultural League, Coober Pedy Multicultural Forum, Migrant Resource Centre of SA, Port Lincoln Multicultural Council, Riverland Multicultural Forum, South East Multicultural Network and Whyalla Multicultural Communities Centre.

The Network identified local quality use of medicines (QUM) needs, developed targeted community-based strategies and established links with local organisations for collaborative initiatives. Initiatives included three education sessions on existing QUM resources which raised consumers' awareness of medicines issues, plus two group visits to local pharmacists and an evaluation workshop.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Rural Northwest Health

Using Medicines Wisely Project

Victoria
Rural Northwest Health is a rural health service covering north-western Victoria, including Mildura, Horsham, Hopetoun, Beulah and Warracknabeal. Census data from 2001 revealed that 21.6% of people in this area are over the age of 65, compared to the national average of 10.7%. 43% of people admitted into acute wards of the Rural Northwest Health area hospitals in July 2004 were taking more than five medications daily.

Rural Northwest Health addressed these issues by running multiple interactive workshops with community pharmacists and health nurses, and up to 10 medicines awareness sessions with local consumers. This project gave the rural community a greater understanding of the medications they were taking, the possible interactions between prescribed medicines and 'over-the-counter' medicines, and other ways to manage their medicines.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Queensland Rural Womens' Network

Rural Quality Use of Medicines Community Project Scheme

Queensland
The Queensland Rural Womens' Network (QRWN) held a series of community-based workshops in four rural centres across Queensland: Longreach, Warwick, Biloela and Gayndah. After identifying local quality use of medicines (QUM) issues, the workshops were tailored to each community and included interactive facilitated discussions.

For those who were unable to travel to the workshops, medicines information was given via the internet, email, information lists and QRWN publications.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Senior Citizens Committee Centre of Tamworth Inc

Rural Quality Use of Medicines Seminars

New South Wales
The Senior Citizens of Tamworth Inc held a series of Health Awareness Seminars in Tamworth, Barraba, Manilla, Nundle, Kootingal, Werris Creek and Quirindi. Medical and other health professionals were invited to collaborate and provide clinical knowledge and advice.

The project aimed to improve the health and quality of life for consumers through quality use of medicines (QUM), and to encourage older people to lead more active and healthy lives as a result of better management of their medicines.

For more about this project, see the full report.

Working Women's Health

Healthy Women: Healthy Communities

Victoria
Working Women's Health (WWH) worked with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, multicultural and ethno-specific agencies and mainstream health service providers to improve quality use of medicines (QUM) with these groups in rural Victoria.

The project increased these groups' access to culturally and linguistically appropriate resources and health services by holding QUM health promotion sessions with six different ethnic community groups, with a total of 36 sessions being run across Victoria.

For more about this project, see the full report.

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© 2012 National Prescribing Service Limited. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

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