Welcome to Nurse Update, a digest of evidence-based information to help you improve your knowledge of medicines use and prescribing practices.

NPS actively engages with nurses to encourage a greater understanding of medicines by providing information and activities on various therapeutic programs.

In this issue

• NPS MedicineWatch: New program funding announced
• A multifaceted approach to osteoporotic fracture risk assessments
• Finding Evidence – Recognising Hype: online learning program
• National Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC) online training course
• Quality use of medicines — why, what, how and who?
• Feed your competency
• Clinical resources and publications
• Consumer resources and publications

NPS MedicineWatch: New program funding announced

NPS has welcomed the announcement of federal government funding for MedicineWatch, a new national program to monitor the uptake and use of prescription medicines.

Often the long-term safety and effectiveness of medicines can only be established once a drug has entered the market and is being used by millions of people experiencing its benefits and risks.

In an Australian first, MedicineWatch will provide important data on how medicines are being used, in what conditions and with what outcomes. This information will allow policymakers and clinicians to make better informed decisions about the registration, listing and prescribing of medicines and lead to better health outcomes for all Australians.

The NPS MedicineWatch program will complement existing data sources and provide better visibility and understanding of how medicines are prescribed and their positive and negative impacts on health in a representative sample of the Australian population.

The funding was announced in the Federal Budget and is part of a wider post-marketing surveillance package to be coordinated by the Department of Health and Ageing.

Data will be collected by establishing a network of 500 general practices across Australia. It is expected to include around 1.5–2.5 million de-identified patient records. The data generated by this project will be in the public domain and available for public health and research use.

MedicineWatch is expected to generate savings to the PBS over the long term, via interventions and the provision of better information for evidence based policy decisions.

Funding for the program is in excess of $16 million over 4 years. Further details regarding MedicineWatch will be announced over the coming months.

A multifaceted approach to osteoporotic fracture risk assessments

NPS has released a new education program for health professionals entitled Reducing osteoporotic fracture risk and building healthy bones. It encourages use of a multifaceted approach to help identify those most at risk of osteoporotic fractures and target interventions accordingly.

Over 2.2 million Australians are affected by osteoporosis, and with an ageing population the rate of osteoporotic fractures is increasing. In recent years, there has been a shift towards using multifactorial risk assessments to help health professionals identify people who are most at risk and better target interventions. This new NPS program will help health professionals assess people using more than just bone mineral density measurements and implement interventions to help reduce their fracture risk.

Two internet-based tools to help GPs and specialists assess individual fracture risk are freely available: the World Health Organization (WHO) fracture risk assessment tool FRAX^® and the Garvan Institute Fracture Risk Calculator.

Part of reducing fracture risk also involves measures for preventing falls. Removing hazards in the home, such as loose rugs and fixing poor lighting, can greatly reduce the risk of a fall for everyone, not just people with osteoporosis.

Health professionals are encouraged to think broadly about fracture risk and to review other medical conditions, medicines or lifestyle factors which may contribute to an increased fracture risk, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

Medicinewise advice

Medicinewise advice for people with osteoporosis on maintaining good bone health includes:

Obtaining adequate calcium

Three serves of dairy per day is enough calcium for most adults. Calcium-fortified or calcium-containing foods such as tofu and almonds are suitable for those who avoid dairy products or are lactose intolerant. Where adequate dietary intake is not achievable, a calcium supplement may be needed.

Ensuring sufficient vitamin D levels

Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for osteoporosis and adequate vitamin D is important for people taking osteoporosis medicines. A vitamin D supplement may be required if levels are inadequate.

Getting regular exercise

Encourage people at risk of fracture to exercise by explaining its benefits: muscle strength and endurance, balance and stability, mobility and quality of life, and falls prevention. Be aware that certain exercises are unsuitable for people with osteoporosis because they can cause fractures. People need adequate calcium and vitamin D status to fully benefit from exercise.

For more information and access to other NPS resources and activities visit the osteoporosis topic page.

Finding Evidence — Recognising Hype: online learning program

Finding Evidence — Recognising Hype (FERH) is an online learning program designed to improve prescribers’ skills in assessing new medicines.

The program is delivered in a series of 6 modules focussing on the key skills needed to make evidence-based prescribing decisions about new medicines. Each module can be completed separately at your own pace.

The case-based program provides a wide range of tools and resources that can be customised to suit your needs, including setting up your own e-toolkit of independent resources and e-alerts that will help you make efficient decisions about new medicines.

This free program is available to all nurses and endorsed by the Authorised Provider of Endorsed Courses (APEC) on behalf of the Royal College of Nursing for 12 Continuing Nurse Education points.

To find out more and to enrol in the program, visit the FERH home page.

National Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC) online training course

Nurses working in a hospital setting are encouraged to take part in the NPS NIMC online training course. The aim of this online module is to familiarise health professionals with the NIMC, raise awareness of safe prescription writing and administration practices, and assist in further reducing errors in medication management.

The course is designed for all health professional staff and students involved in medication management (either prescribing or administering) in a hospital setting. It is available free of charge and has been endorsed by APEC number 061110344 on behalf of the Royal College of Nursing Australia according to approved criteria, and attracts 2 continuing nurse education points.

Here are some comments from other nurses about the course:

‘Very relevant and useful.’ (Registered nurse)

‘This course has not been widely advertised at my place of work… I know my colleagues would benefit from doing this. I will promote it at work.’ (Registered nurse)

‘I recommend that all nurses, no matter what level they are, should do this course.’ (Enrolled nurse)

Quality use of medicines — why, what, how and who?

The free Quality use of medicines (QUM) online course is aimed at health professionals and individuals working in the QUM industry. It sets QUM in context, provides an overview of QUM principles and their application, and explores the roles and responsibilities of various partners involved in achieving QUM.

Nurses, as regulated professionals, have a key role and responsibility to ensure the quality use of medicines, including assessment, monitoring, educating, raising awareness, referring, discharge planning, administering, and storage and disposal of medicines.

This course serves as a good refresher for QUM principles and can help improve implementation of QUM.

Feed your competency