9 October 2009

Outreach pharmacists who provide valuable pharmacy services to remote Aboriginal Health Services are invited to participate in a new education program on stroke prevention run by the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS).

The NPS Outreach Pharmacists for Remote Aboriginal Health Services program, which supports pharmacists to educate the staff they work with in remote Aboriginal communities, was first launched as a pilot program in the Northern Territory in June 2008. It has since been extended to pharmacists working in other remote areas across Australia.

“The outreach pharmacists for remote Aboriginal health services program aims to improve the health of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through providing quality use of medicines education to staff at local health services,“ NPS senior adviser, Judith Mackson said.

Involvement in the program consists of:

• structured training workshops twice yearly
• resources to assist the pharmacist to meet the educational needs of the staff and clients at Aboriginal Health Services
• ongoing support to assist with implementation of the program in Aboriginal Health Services
• providing educational sessions to the staff at the Aboriginal Health Services on two therapeutic topics annually
• participating in teleconferences periodically to facilitate inter professional discussion and feedback
• provision of a short activity report at the conclusion of each therapeutic topic outlining the reach of the program within your Aboriginal Health Services. The reporting will be a component of that required by the Department of Health and Ageing under the S100 pharmacy support allowance, minimising any additional burden to participants.

“After participating in this latest workshop pharmacists will have a sound knowledge of the pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies used in stroke prevention and be able to run educational sessions for staff at Aboriginal Health Services on stroke prevention including overall cardiovascular risk reduction,” Ms Mackson said.

“The program gives pharmacists working in remote and isolated areas the opportunity to network with other pharmacists working in similar areas, and develop cultural competency in working with Aboriginal Health Services,” Ms Mackson said.

NPS will cover the costs of eligible pharmacists to participate in the program such as travel to training workshops, background reading materials, workshop materials, teleconference support and other useful resources.

The program will also count towards the quality use of medicines and educational requirements of the contractual agreements with the Aboriginal Health Services under the Section 100 Pharmacy Support Allowance Program.

Training workshops will be held in:

• Darwin: 27-28 October
• Cairns: 3-4 November
• Adelaide: 19-20 November

If you are interested in participating in the NPS Outreach Pharmacists for Remote Aboriginal Health Servicesprogram or to check eligibility contact Pippa Travers-Mason at NPS on (02) 8217 8650.

The National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) is an independent, non-profit organisation for Quality Use of Medicines funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.