Community Update was formerly known as Community e.news.

April 2006

Community e.news is a regular NPS newsletter, keeping consumers and community organisations updated on what NPS and others are doing to promote quality use of medicines (QUM) in the community

In this edition:

NPS activity

• NPS presents at Australian Health Promotion Association conference
• Helping improve usability of Consumer Medicine Information (CMIs)
• Independent medicines phone services continue to support health professionals and consumers
• Rural and remote communities reached through local QUM projects
• Seniors 2006 program casts net wider
• Multicultural communities: next generation brings QUM to the kitchen table
• Insights from focus groups on chronic conditions
• Stay tuned for common colds need common sense, they don't need antibiotics 2006 campaign

Publications

• NPS RADAR - NPS recommends caution over using weight loss drug Xenical
• MedicinesTalk Autumn issue out now

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NPS presents at Australian Health Promotion Association conference

NPS staff involved in promoting quality use of medicines (QUM) in the community will present achievements in QUM at the 16th National Health Promotion Conference to be held in Alice Springs 23-26 April. Kath Vaughan and Jen Davis will profile the partnership approach used to promote QUM among seniors and multicultural communities. Amanda Justice will provide an overview of the rural program, key outcomes and successes during 2004-05. The conference brings together leading and practising health promotion professionals from across the country. Acceptance of NPS materials shows peer recognition of our best practice approach and provides an opportunity to promote QUM to others involved in health promotion activities.

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Helping improve usability of Consumer Medicine Information (CMIs)

NPS recently contributed to the Stakeholder Consultation for the Revision of the Usability Guidelines for Writing CMIs. CMI leaflets are available free to consumers for all prescription medicines and describe what the medicine is for, things to consider before using the medicine, how to use the medicine, possible side effects, and other useful information. They are written by the pharmaceutical company. Guidelines play an important role in ensuring consistent and high quality information for consumers.

The review has considered improving the practical use of CMIs through:

• highlighting points for health professionals to use when counselling consumers
• reducing repetitive content to focus more on medicines-specific information

The following NPS member organisations are in the steering group overseeing the revision of the guidelines — Consumers' Health Forum of Australia, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing.

CMIs were also an important aspect of the NPS Summit: Informing Judgements About Medicines held last September. The Communication Research Institute of Australia is responsible for revising the usability guidelines with funding from the Department of Health and Ageing. Download the current guidelines.

Visit here for some 760 CMIs (around 40% of the total available). If you can't find the CMI for your medicine, call Medicines Line on 1300 888 763 9am-6pm EST Mon – Fri for a copy.

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Independent medicines phone services continue to support health professionals and consumers

Latest activity reports show continued use of NPS's independent phone services for health professionals (TAIS) and consumers (Medicines Line).

In 2005, nearly 6,500 calls were made by health professionals to TAIS, and nearly 15,000 enquiries were made by consumers to Medicines Line

The main inquiries to TAIS were about interactions, advice on therapeutic strategy and adverse drug reactions. Community pharmacists (47%) and general practitioners (32%) formed the majority of callers.

The main inquiries to Medicines Line were about side effects and interactions. The majority of callers were aged between 25 and 44 years, while the population group who take the most medicines: people over 65 years, comprised nearly 25% of callers.

Medicines Line 1300 888 763 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm EST)

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Rural and remote communities reached through local QUM projects

Throughout 2004 and 2005, 16 rural scheme projects in all states and territories except ACT identified and addressed quality use of medicines (QUM) issues in rural and remote communities. These issues ranged from lack of knowledge about what medicines are being taken and why, to the right to ask the doctor and pharmacist about medicines, and how to use the medicines.

The majority of projects focused on the general community, while four targeted the multicultural community, one worked with remote NT Aboriginal communities and one focused on seniors. Specific multicultural communities reached were; Filipino, Greek, Croatian, Polish, Pakistani, Macedonian, Turkish, Zimbabwean, Italian, Afghani and Sikh.

Most participants were over 50 years of age, and although both genders were targeted, a large number of females participated in most projects. One project had a majority of males. Many projects reached isolated communities, people with chronic illnesses and carers.

Overall more than 142 community QUM events were held, involving around 5,200 consumers. Consumers received resources and learned about Medimates (nearly 2,900), Medicine Line (2,711 fridge magnets), CMI (946 brochures), Home Medicines Review (500 brochures) and MedicinesTalk (370 copies).

Keep an eye out for the report on the NPS website. It includes a summary for each project and useful information for others wanting to do similar projects. In some cases, individual stories are described.

Visit here to see the report and access QUM resources.

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Seniors 2006 program casts net wider

Last year, 287 peer educators ran 1,432 interactive medicines information sessions to help seniors throughout Australia get to know their medicines and enjoy better health.

Sessions promote quality use of medicines (QUM) and upskill seniors to ask questions of their doctor and pharmacist, to know where to find medicines information and to better manage their medicines.

Sessions are continuing in 2006 with state and territory coordinators working to create contacts and reach more seniors. The 2006 program will focus on building new partnerships and developing new content.

New partnerships aim to promote QUM to seniors who live in rural communities, who have chronic conditions and who have a multicultural background. For example, NPS's partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) will further develop multicultural community contacts. Some peer educators will offer sessions in community languages, building on existing work where nearly 1,000 seniors attended sessions in their own language and others attended them with an interpreter. These sessions may use current NPS resources in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Greek and Italian.

New content is being developed which addresses a need for information about generic medicines. This will allow seniors to make more informed medicines choices as well as enable continued contact with previous participants.

Volunteer peer educators bring their life learning and skills to their work in the community. They are trained and supported by coordinators, whose local knowledge and experience contribute to the program's richness and diversity. NPS thanks and acknowledges the hard work and commitment of all volunteer peer educators, state and territory coordinators, national coordinator and the partner organisations that make this program so effective.

Visit here to book an information session in your area.

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Multicultural communities: next generation brings QUM to the kitchen table

In a new move, NPS is working in partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA), Community Languages Australia and AFESA (Australian Federation of Ethnic Schools Association), to bring quality use of medicines (QUM) issues into the curriculum of 10 – 12 year olds and to kitchen-table discussions with their parents and their grandparents.

The aim is to improve the awareness and skills of multicultural consumers to manage their medicines more effectively. Research shows the important 'gateway' role multicultural children play in helping their parents and grandparents navigate Australian systems.

In an initial pilot, several hundred students in a cross section of schools representing both longer term settled communities and new communities are being targeted for participation.

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Insights from focus groups on chronic conditions

People with chronic conditions have been providing valuable insights to NPS in recently held focus groups in Sydney, Brisbane, Dubbo and South Australia. People living with chronic pain and diabetes have discussed quality use of medicines (QUM) issues, their approach to medicines management and information needs, in what is part of the formative research component of the new chronic conditions program for consumers. Carers of people with chronic conditions have also participated in this research.

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Stay tuned for common colds need common sense, they don't need antibiotics 2006 campaign

With media starting the build-up for the coming winter season, NPS planning for the 6th common colds need common sense, they don't need antibiotics campaign is well underway. Stay tuned for the next Community e.news in which we will reveal the campaign.

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NPS RADAR — NPS recommends caution over the use of weight loss drug Xenical

NPS recommend consumers be cautious about using Xenical (orlistat), following a decision by the Australian Government's National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee to allow direct advertising of this weight loss drug.

NPS conducted an independent review of orlistat in 2004 when it was rescheduled from a prescription-only medicine to a pharmacist-only medicine. The drug has since been available over the counter in pharmacies.

The NPS review, which appeared in the December 2004 issue of NPS RADAR (a bulletin for health professionals), reports that orlistat produces average weight loss of up to 4.5 kg in the first year in addition to weight loss through lifestyle changes. The degree of weight loss reduces with time however, and orlistat will not help all patients achieve the weight loss required for improved health.

The NPS review of orlistat concluded that diet, exercise and behaviour therapy are first-line treatment for overweight and obese patients.

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MedicinesTalk Autumn issue out now

Read the latest issue of MedicinesTalk to recognise the symptoms of influenza and decide on vaccination, learn about how medicines are made available in Australia, and understand how to ask about side effects and weigh up the risks and benefits of medicines.

MedicinesTalk is produced by consumers for consumers to encourage people to use medicines wisely, especially among people who use multiple medicines. There are currently 2,500 subscribers to MedicinesTalk including community organisations, support groups, health and care providers and consumers.

Feel free to subscribe to, use and pass on the stories in MedicinesTalk to other consumers and consumer organisations seeking to know more about their medicines.

National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) is an independent, non-profit organisation for Quality Use of Medicines. We provide accurate, balanced, evidence-based information and services to help people choose if, when and how to use medicines to improve their health and wellbeing. We are member-based and work in partnership with health professionals, government, pharmaceutical industry and consumers. NPS is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

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