OCTOBER, Edition # 35, 2001

HAVE YOUR SAY!
We have set up a FORUM DISCUSSION GROUP at this link for you to comment on any of the material published in this newsletter.
It may also be used to highlight any non-related information that could be important to pharmacists.
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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to Edition #35 of Computachem Newsletter.

In this edition you will note that the various authors are looking at methods of integration with other areas of the health system, particularly GPs.
To assist in the process, we are introducing the type of information that GPs are currently receiving on their desktop, through their primary prescription writing system, which will invariably be Medical Director.
Medical Director is a product of Health Communications Network (HCN), an Australian E-Health company with a diversity of interests and alliances.
The weekly newsletter that GPs receive through their desktop is the Health Communications Weekly(HCW).
Computachem Newsletter has formed an alliance with HCN and will reproduce selected extracts from HCW in each edition.
Please post comment on the Forum if you would like to see more of this type of material, particularly from the clinical pharmacist community.

Rollo Manning is back from a sojourn in Canberra where he attended a dinner hosted by the Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (APMA).
He discusses the issue of social responsibility of business, by being aware of social issues and contributing to the community providing the revenue.

Ken Stafford looks at perceptions of patients and other health professionals, when viewing professional behaviour (or is it professional?). As always, Ken has the ability to focus on an everyday aspect of pharmacy and enables us to have a good look at ourselves. We obviously still have a long way to go.

Stephen Rogers, a new writer from Western Australia, highlights some political tussles for information control by the Australian Medical Association (AMA), and notes that it opposes some aspects of the Better Medication Management System being developed by the Pharmacy Guild and the Health Insurance Commission.

Mark Coleman touches on the AMA development noted by Stephen Rogers and gives a "cooks tour" of what is currently available or under development in the e-commerce/e-health world that is opening up. He notes that "crunch time" is almost upon us and that there is a bit of "catch up" required now there are a number of competing systems being developed.

The Australian economy is given a broad brush stroke to determine what business strategies may ned to be looked at for community pharmacists in 2002. Recent events have turned the world on its head and will certainly pose some repercussions for pharmacy.

Pat Gallagher touches on an everyday practice between manufacturers and pharmacists - the Turnover Order (TOO). He highlights how this activity has grown and what deficiencies exist in the current methods of obtaining and processing such orders. The inefficient components he highlights are the very elements that increase costs and give our competitors significant advantage in the marketplace.

Terry Irvine adds a social dimension to e-commerce and looks at how humanity can be factored in. He draws on material from current management theory, which postulates that e-commerce may simply end up as "the soundless scrape of coins over the wire" with little else to commend it. It certainly makes you think and tends to tie in with Rollo Manning's current contribution on the social responsibility of business.

Jon Aldous looks at new doctor training, the prescription writing technology and wonders why doctors are still unable to come up with an error-free prescription.
He postulates, that at least in hospitals, that this should be the responsibility of a pharmacist and notes that in the U.K, pharmacists are already working in community medical centres as dependent prescribers.

Simon Rudderham, our final year pharmacy student at Sydney University, outlines a discussion held in class regarding Naturopathy. Simon is completing a Diploma of Naturopathy simultaneously with his pharmacy degree, so he was well qualified to act as "devil's advocate" to his class.

Roy Stevenson makes a brief appearance this month as he prepares to take classes in the procedures of Domiciliary Medication Management Reviews (DMMR) and the new Privacy Laws. He is wondering out loud whether any other pharmacist is as concerned as he is, as to the impact, adverse or otherwise, on the future of pharmacy. Why not dialogue with him on the Forum?

Roundup, our columnist for Rural and Remote issues discusses the need for collaboration on health policy from all health professionals, professional governing bodies and government health adminstrators. Check out the reasoning and move to the Forum to make your contribution.

Neil Johnston
October 1st, 2001

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