Published by Computachem Services

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NSW Australia

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The shortage of pharmacists may be a symptom of poor salaries. The need for money to be earned for professional services is obvious and it is to be hoped the Con Berbatis "Survey of Australia's Community Pharmacies 2002" will be a starting point to value the worth to public health of the many tasks provided "free" by pharmacies around Australia.

These are the words of health administrators when confronted with a pharmacist trying to explain the benefits of a pharmacy service.
How often is it heard in pharmacy circles that a certain activity has not bee evaluated to provide quantifiable data, but that "anecdotal evidence" shows that it happens "a lot".
This is not enough if pharmacy is to prove its value on the National stage against a background of authorities being only prepared to fund activities which are "evidence based", show contributions to "health gains", or are "outcome focussed".
The National Survey of Pharmacy being conducted by Con Berbatis and colleagues from Curtin University, and funded by the Third Agreement Research and Development Fund gives an opportunity to move a step towards quantifiable data.
It (the survey) will ask a random sample of pharmacies to respond to questions which seek a response to the number of times events happen in a retail pharmacy such as counselling, sale of Pharmacy Only medicines, use of Dose Administration Aids (Webster packs), conduct of medication reviews and participation in public health information programs.
The number of times an event occurs is no measure of success, and it is hoped the survey will identify activities which need to be followed up with more investigation on success or otherwise.
This includes counselling activities, the distribution of medicines in dose administration aids, and the sale of s2 and s3 medicines.
The fact that pharmacists' hourly rates still hover around the up to $30 mark is indication of the need to have more income generated for retail businesses by professional activity.
The so-called shortage of pharmacists may also be an indication of the shortage of well paid jobs.
Working in a State/Territory Government Department can give the potential to earn in excess of $60,000 a year, with holiday, sick leave, long service leave and other benefits of the "public service good life" and the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry recognises executive salaries.
A scenario of "pharmacist shortage" needs to be closely looked at and findings made to ascertain whether it is due in any part to the fact that according to a recent survey by APESMA there is little difference between the rates paid to pharmacists, pharmacists-in-charge, and pharmacist managers.
Any call for increase in pay will be met by proprietors saying they are not being paid enough for dispensing PBS prescriptions.
This may be the case, but at the same time pharmacists will win no votes for value when they continually provide services for no charge.
The farcical situation with Dose Administration Aids is evidence of this, where in one State they are provided for charge" because every pharmacy is afraid of losing contracts to another if they levy a charge.
There are many more examples of time being spent on "free" services, and it is hoped the Berbatis Survey and subsequent will identify these and indicate their frequency.
But it does not stop there.
Those activities must then be examined for effectiveness.
It is no use giving people their medicine in Websterpaks if it does not improve the level of compliance with the doctor's orders.
If you do not know the answer - ask.
The Survey of Australia's Community Pharmacies 2002 will provide useful data, but it is not the end.
It is to be hoped that the Curtin Uni researchers have a plan to back this up with more studies if it is to mean anything at all.
Ends

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