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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to Edition #37 of Computachem e-newsletter.
The end of our publishing year is fast approaching, with only two more editions to run, before we go into recess.
We are looking to review all aspects of our publication during this recess, and to this end we will be asking for your assistance, in the next edition, to complete an online survey, covering all aspects of writing and production.

Your responses to this survey will greatly assist us in designing and producing a brighter and more readable presentation, when it emerges again on February 1st, 2002.

So how are you all coping with your case conferencing and DMMR services?
The focus of this edition and some previous editions, has been to present some hard facts and experiences, as to how change is being managed.
Some of our writers are enthusiastic, others are cautious and some are just plain cynical.
But they are all honestly reporting from their own perspective, and you do go away with a well-rounded view of the world of pharmacy.

Rollo Manning kicks off in this issue on some of the practical problems of the expanded pharmacist role and highlights the issue of training for these roles.

Ken Stafford laments on how pharmacy seems to be overlooked in many community health initiatives, and ponders whether this problem could be resolved through the structuring of local Divisions of Pharmacy Practice.
What do you think?

An expanded article appears on the urgent need for a pharmacy corporate structure. Not just any corporate structure, but one that will satisfy lifestyle and professional aspirations through mergers of community pharmacy practices, to produce a larger and more viable unit.
The structure is needed urgently, because if the new services are to survive, they must have a strong platform from which to be based.
To a certain extent, the new services are " the cart before the horse" and state governments need to get their respective acts into gear.

Jon Aldous talks about Continuous Professional Development, a new English model that replaces Continuing Education. This is a far more sensible approach to education and training, and it is hoped that the model will be adopted in Australia.

The Health Communication Weekly, an electronic publication produced by the Health Care Network, has a prescriber focus on allergic rhinitis based on original research through the GP network connected by the Medical Director script system.
We reproduce the material with permission from HCN as we believe that pharmacists have a need to know what information GP's are receiving as a means of tailoring their professional activities, for liaison purposes.
This is an area of writing that will become more significant in 2002 and we will be seeking some new writers proficient in this area.

Roy Stevenson is back and with his own unique style, tells of the unsustainable workload in pharmacy. This is a real problem that many readers will identify with, and it is not unique to the pharmacy profession alone.
While Roy highlights the actual problems as he faces them every day in different locations, other writers are seeking solutions e.g the move to a pharmacy corporate structure, as a means of alleviating some of the problems.
More of our readers have discovered Roy, and I believe he is receiving more
e-mails than all the other writers combined.

Simon Rudderham, our final year pharmacy student, puts his viewpoint across regarding pharmacy counseling. His perspective is from the vantage point of just entering pharmacy ranks, and he is a little concerned.

James Ellerson is back and brings us up to date on global e-tailing and some of the federal government initiatives in the e-commerce area, for small business.

Heather Pym describes what our GP counterparts are doing for their accreditation and how they are reacting with pharmacists and the new services.
This is a valuable insight, and there are some parallels with pharmacy with which we can be sympathetic.

Stephen Rogers has an interesting comment on aged care facilities and how his consultant pharmacists are making a difference through clinical intervention.
This is very topical and worth noting.

Finally, Roundup discusses remote dispensing and ponders where under the S100 scheme, professional value added components should be applied to the patient.
It may not evolve to the pharmacist and you should read and find our why.

Neil Johnston
November 1st, 2001

 

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