Tips for safer health care

The Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care has just published a booklet Ten Tips to Safer Health Care. The booklet encourages consumers to be more involved in their own health care, and to work in partnership with their doctors. It helps consumers ask questions about their health care, so they can understand their options, and make decisions about the care most appropriate for them.

Some of the topics covered include:

• being more active in your health care
• communicating with doctors
• learning more about your condition and its treatments
• improving the safety of medicines
• dealing with hospitals and medical procedures.

Copies of the booklet can be obtained free of charge by ringing 02 6289 4244 or visiting the www.safetyandquality.org website.

Information about new medicines

It is often difficult to obtain information about medicines that have just been listed (become available) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). As a result, doctors prescribing the medicines are often uncertain about where they fit into the overall spectrum of medicines. The problem can also create difficulties for pharmacists, when they do not have enough information to advise consumers about the medicine, and identify potential safety problems.

To overcome these problems, the National Prescribing Service (NPS) has begun producing information about newly listed medicines. The emphasis will be on providing information that helps doctors, pharmacists and consumers use the medicines judiciously and appropriately. The NPS will also produce information about medicines whose recommended usage has been revised recently.

The information produced will focus on two areas. Firstly, it will outline the evidence that led to the medicine being listed on the PBS, or its recommended usage being revised. Secondly, it will explain the use of the medicine, including the conditions it can be used to treat, its effectiveness compared with other medicines, appropriate dosages, its safety, and the role of non-drug therapies in the management of the condition.

Information will also be produced for consumers. The consumer information will be in a consumer-friendly format, and will be consistent with the information produced for health professionals.

For more information about the program contact NPS on 02 8217 8700 or via email.