Hosted by a rotating group of interviewers including our CEO and pharmacist, Adj A/Prof Steve Morris, and GP and NPS MedicineWise medical adviser Dr. Anna Samecki, we’ll wade through the reams of information – and sometimes misinformation – to provide answers from trusted sources for all of your quality use of medicines questions.
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In this episode NPS MedicineWise CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris is joined by Professor Andrew McLachlan, Head of School and Dean of Pharmacy at the University of Sydney, to discuss how the COVID pandemic has sparked a growing interest among consumers in medicines and treatments.
They discuss the vital role health professionals play in communicating harms and benefits with consumers.
They also consider why clinicians should take an interest in the upcoming review of the National Medicines Policy, and Steve bids farewell ahead of stepping down as NPS MedicineWise CEO at the end of July.
Further reading
In this episode about health literacy, NPS MedicineWise CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris is joined by health consumer advocate Debra Letica and CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells.
New survey findings have shown that one in five consumers rarely or never felt comfortable asking their doctor, pharmacist or nurse when they needed more information. Steve, Debra and Leanne discuss how health literacy is a fundamental pathway to good healthcare, practical ways health professionals can help consumers feel more in control of their own health care, and why it’s so important to include consumers in shaping health care messages.
Further reading:
In this second special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast about upcoming scheduling changes to nicotine vaping products, medical adviser and GP Dr Jill Thistlethwaite talks with Adjunct Professor John Skerritt from the Health Products Regulation Group (HPRG), including the Therapeutic Goods Administration at the Australian Government Department of Health and Professor Nick Zwar, Executive Dean of the Health Sciences and Medicine Faculty at Bond University and Chair of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Expert Advisory Group on smoking cessation clinical practice guidelines.
They provide a brief recap on the new prescribing process for nicotine vaping products that is coming into effect from 1 October 2021 and what GPs need to know about these changes. They also discuss the new standard for prescribing nicotine vaping products and the upcoming RACGP smoking cessation guideline update.
This podcast was developed with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health.
Further reading
NPS MedicineWise podcast Episode 28: Nicotine scheduling changes – Special episode #1: https://www.nps.org.au/podcast/episode-28-nicotine-scheduling-changes-special-episode-1
TGA: Nicotine e-cigarettes hub (for health professionals):
www.tga.gov.au/nicotine-e-cigarettes
TGA: Standard for unregistered nicotine vaping products:
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/F2021L00595
TGA: Nicotine vaping products and vaping devices – Draft guidance for Therapeutic Goods Order 110 (TGO 110) and related matters:
https://www.tga.gov.au/resource/nicotine-vaping-products-and-vaping-devices
TGA: Nicotine e-cigarettes laws are changing (blog for consumers):
www.tga.gov.au/blogs/tga-topics/nicotine-e-cigarettes-laws-are-changing
NPS MedicineWise news article, access pathways flowchart and links to further information:
www.nps.org.au/professionals/prescribing-nicotine
RACGP Guidelines: Supporting smoking cessation:
In this special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast about upcoming scheduling changes to nicotine vaping products, CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris talks with Adjunct Prof John Skerritt and Ms Jenny Francis from the Health Products Regulation Group (HPRG), including the Therapeutic Goods Administration at the Australian Government Department of Health. They discuss the new prescribing process for nicotine vaping products that is coming into effect from 1 October 2021, why the regulation is being changed, which products are being affected, and what prescribers need to do to prepare for this change.
This podcast was developed with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health.
Further reading
NPS MedicineWise news article, access pathways flowchart and links to further information:
www.nps.org.au/professionals/prescribing-nicotine
TGA: Nicotine e-cigarettes hub (for health professionals):
www.tga.gov.au/nicotine-e-cigarettes
TGA: Nicotine e-cigarettes laws are changing (blog for consumers):
www.tga.gov.au/blogs/tga-topics/nicotine-e-cigarettes-laws-are-changing
RACGP Guidelines: Supporting smoking cessation:
In this episode NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Jill Thistlethwaite interviews Dr Robyn Lindner, also from NPS MedicineWise and Executive Sponsor for Choosing Wisely Australia and Tara Montgomery, a public health advocate and communications strategist at Civic Health Partners in the United States. They discuss why the Choosing Wisely initiative has been needed in Australia and how it has been received here, why it’s critical to engage consumers in the campaign, and the role of culture and systems in reducing unnecessary care. Robyn and Tara also talk about the program and themes for the upcoming Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting, to be held as a virtual event on 19 May 2021, including some glimpses into Tara's presentation on trust as a facilitator and barrier in choosing wisely.
Further reading
National Medicines Symposium – 18 May 2021:
Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting – 19 May 2021:
In this special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Jill Thistlethwaite talks with Dr Hester Wilson, a GP and addiction medicine specialist, and Ms Leah Dwyer, a member of Painaustralia’s Consumer Advisory Group, about the risk of tolerance, dependence and overdose with opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.
This podcast was developed with funding from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Government Department of Health.
Further reading:
Opioids, chronic pain and the bigger picture (NPS MedicineWise resources for health professionals):
https://www.nps.org.au/professionals/opioids-chronic-pain
MedicineWise News: 5 steps to tapering opioids for patients with chronic non-cancer pain
https://www.nps.org.au/news/5-steps-to-tapering-opioids
NPS MedicineWise: Series of communication videos about opioids and chronic non-cancer pain:
https://www.nps.org.au/opioids-communication-videos
NPS MedicineWise: Easy to understand consumer information about opioids and chronic pain
https://www.nps.org.au/consumers/opioid-medicines
TGA Prescription Opioids Hub:
https://www.tga.gov.au/hubs/prescription-opioids
Opioid Calculator, produced by the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FPM ANZCA):
http://www.opioidcalculator.com.au/
Free ‘Better Pain Prescribing’ course from the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FPM ANZCA):
https://www.betterpainmanagement.com/product?catalog=TGA-BPM Faculty of Pain Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FPM ANZCA)
In this special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast, Dr Jill Thistlethwaite talks with Dr Tania Gardner, senior physiotherapist with St Vincent's Hospital’s ‘Reboot Online’ Pain Management Program, and Ms Sarah Fowler, a member of Painaustralia’s Consumer Advisory Group, about the non-pharmacological treatment options for patients with chronic non-cancer pain. The discussion draws from Sarah’s consumer experience and outlines effective strategies for motivating patients to actively participate in the shared-decision making process with their health professional. This podcast was developed with funding from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Government Department of Health.
Further reading:
In this episode NPS MedicineWise CEO Steve Morris interviews Leanne Wells, CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) following the recent CHF Summit - Australasia’s inaugural consumer health summit.
They discuss what health organisations and health professionals need to do fundamentally to move towards truly consumer-centred care, how we build equity in accessibility into digital enhancement and evolution, and the role of health literacy and in particular medicines literacy in helping ensure people don't get left behind.
Steve and Leanne also discuss the challenges and opportunities of virtual conferences, and invite listeners to join two upcoming virtual events: the National Medicines Symposium on 18 May and the 2021 Choosing Wisely Australia National Meeting on 19 May.
Further reading:
In this episode, recorded on 17 February 2021, NPS MedicineWise CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris is joined by the head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Adj Prof John Skerritt to hear the latest information about COVID-19 vaccination in Australia, which is rolling out from this month. They discuss how the TGA makes decisions about which vaccines to approve in terms of both safety and efficacy, and how potential adverse events from the vaccines will be monitored as the vaccine is rolled out.
This information was current as at 17 February 2021. For up to date information please visit our Further Reading links.
Further reading
COVID-19 vaccines – TGA approval process [video]: www.health.gov.au/resources/videos/covid-19-vaccines-tga-approval-process
TGA information on COVID-19 vaccines: www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccines
Report a problem or side effect to the TGA: www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems
Vaccines and COVID-19 – NPS MedicineWise article: www.nps.org.au/vaccines-and-covid-19
