EDITORIAL

Woolworths-The State of Play
NEIL JOHNSTON
Management Consultant Perspective

The last week of October has unfolded at a pace that has been difficult to keep up with as press reports began to emerge that Mayne was in serious discussion with Priceline, Woolworths, and others, and that Priceline was also looking to procure a major pharmacy software company.
Unofficial reports indicated that the PGA was near to panic as the various stories unfolded.
Indeed, the articles I prepared last month were vindicated almost totally, as the hostile forces to pharmacy gathered as if following a prepared script from the pages of this e-magazine..

Supermarkets & Pharmacy: A King Canute Response?
Dan J Da Silva
Corporate Strategist Perspective

Editor's Note:
We spotted this AuspharmList posting a short time after we ran the Woolworth's series in the October edition.
In it, Dan Da Silva has delivered a concise viepoint on pharmacy, as a corporate strategist, which is exactly the viewpoint the Pharmacy Guild of Australia should be taking.
i2P contacted the writer for an exchange of views and also for permission to quote from the article.
As you will note, there are many points of similarity with i2P writers.
Dan's article is reproduced here, in full, at the author's request.

Supermarket pharmacies in Australia :
Part 1 - international comparisons
CON BERBATIS
Pharmacy Researcher Perpsective

Editor's Note: Well-known pharmacy researcher, Con Berbatis, has been quietly investigating community pharmacy, both locally and globally and has produced some timely statistics supporting trends that he has identified.
More than ever, pharmacy leaders need hard information on which to base strategic decisions, as organisations such as Woolworths circle pharmacy waiting to attack at an opportune moment.
Put aside your assumptions and impressions and judge for yourself, using hard evidence, whether Australian pharmacy social values stands up against pharmacy models in other countries, already engaged in open ownership.
Look at world trends and see what model we want to evolve into.
This article is the first of a series, all of which are published this month because of the urgency created by market events.
It is required reading for all community pharmacists and decision makers.

Supermarket pharmacies in Australia :
Part 2. supermarkets in Australia
CON BERBATIS
Pharmacy Researcher Perspective

Editor's Note: The Berbatis research now takes us into the Australian scene, where it now becomes more relevant and valuable.
Appreciate that this material is an extremely valuable resource, and that it has been published freely, in the interests of Australian pharmacists and their leaders.

Supermarket pharmacies in Australia :
Part 3. scenarios and consequences
CON BERBATIS
Pharmacy Researcher Perspective

Editor's Note: This article is the last in the series prepared by Con Berbatis especially for this edition of i2P e-magazine. We are pleased that many of his findings validate much of what we write about in this publication.
We will certainly be using his material as a reference to keep our future writing on track.

When Rape is Imminent
NEIL JOHNSTON
Management Consultant Perspective

One of the most obvious attitudes, that I picked up after running a group of articles relating to Woolworths last month (follow this link), is the feeling of inevitability expressed by a large number of pharmacists.
Taking Roger Corbett, Woolworth's CEO, at face value, we have hundreds of pharmacists looking to take advantage of a Woolworths proposed offering.
Getting in on the ground floor, even before the Woolworths offer is a reality, suggests an opportunistic train of thought.
On the one hand, it is accepting that Woolworths will win and that this is an inevitability; and on the other hand, by turning away from existing pharmacy models, it is saying that these models don't measure up.

The Seven Veils of Differentiation
MARK COLEMAN
Medical Centre Perspective

Government reviews of pharmacy services have previously highlighted that there are insufficient differentiations between pharmacy offerings, and that the whole of pharmacy was essentially homogeneous.
That is the view from an external and non-pharmacist perspective, which is valid, because that may represent how the bulk of consumers see pharmacists, and could be one of the major reasons that there has been a gradual erosion of all major pharmacy markets to supermarket environments.
There are seven recognisable components to achieve differentiation, and an attempt is made here to lift the veil off each component.

Emergency Hormone Contraception (EHC)
KARALYN HUXHAGEN
PSA Councilor Perspective

The determination by the National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee (NDPSC) to recommend that emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) become a "Pharmacist Only" item opens up an area of debate that has often been discussed before- "Prescribing by health professionals other than medical practitioners".
The area of prescribing EHC has many models to learn from in other countries including England and Canada.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has been evaluating the overseas data as well as consulting with other organisations to develop a protocol and guidelines for pharmacists to use in their pharmacies when 'prescribing' EHC.
Once the decision recommended by the NDPSC is ratified the guidelines will be disseminated to Australian Pharmacists.

Cognitive Service Roles For Pharmacists -
My Review of Where This is Heading
HEATHER PYM
Division of General Practice Perspective

The role out of Home Medication Review services and similar medication review services in Residential Care institutions have provided pharmacists with both challenges and new responsibilities that have enhanced the professional rewards of many pharmacists who have risen to providing the new services to their customers.
This has not been without some pain and cost both in time and dollars. The rewards have been, to most involved, more in professional satisfaction and challenging roles than to the hip pocket. The majority of pharmacists supplying these services in my Division of General Practice have on the whole been happy with the results for them personally and for the patients and General Practitioners involved the results have been worthwhile.

Decisions
SIMON RUDDERHAM
New Pharmacy Owner Perspective

For the last two weeks, I have been the proud part-owner of a smallish pharmacy in Melbourne's south east. It has been a challenge which I have so far both loathed and enjoyed. While I never imagined it to be merely a barrel of laughs, I am already finding myself hitting barriers which I do not yet know how to deal with.

Use Research for Answer
ROLLO MANNING
An Indigenous/Rural/Isolated/Remote Perspective

What has happened to review of DAAs?
An area of pharmacy research that needs addressing before the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement is the question of payment for "dose administration aids".
It is ludicrous to think that in this day and age when pharmacists are trying to prove their worth in professional activity (aside from the "front of shop") there are still pharmacies giving away their time to pack "dose administration aids".

Concordance - The New Way To Go?
KEN STAFFORD
Consultant Pharmacist Perspective

One of the most potent messages coming from my post grad studies is the one that states "No matter how effective a medicine might be, it won't work if it is not taken".
This came back to me last week when reading the October 11th BMJ featuring a number of papers/articles on compliance/concordance with medications.
As pharmacists how can we ensure that our patients are actually following the directions we carefully type on labels and so obtaining the most benefit?

Reaching the End of a Long Journey
ANDREW SNOW
Pre-Registration Pharmacist Perspective

The year of being a graduate student is hopefully almost over……………………
This has been one of the most exhausting years of my life, combining work and study.
The current requirements to become a registered pharmacist after obtaining a bachelor of pharmacy includes two major assignments, attending two tutorial sessions where you need to make presentations, doing a four month case study on a patient at the pharmacy, 10 CPE points, 2000 working hours, First Aid Course, a written exam and an oral exam!
This is a difficult achievement when working long hours on top of these studies.