EDITORIAL

The year is powering along, and so are we.
The "hits" for the March edition (No.13) for i2P E-Magazine amounted to 31337 at the last inspection, with the meter still ticking over for the last days of the month. This is well up on last year.

We have a larger than usual offering for April, which reflects some of the new writers coming on board, plus additional material covering the QCPP debate. The material they cover is quite diverse and well worth a read.

Our lead article covers pharmacy corporatisation as we express our dismay that the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) seems intent on ignoring all recommendations to allow pharmacists to incorporate. This "head in the sand" attitude will only serve to marginalise the PGA, because it does not reflect the thinking of community pharmacists holding the majority market share. Rollo Manning reinforces this view by discussing change and the "comfort zone" that pharmacists appear to live in.

It is also great to see Con Berbatis receiving recognition for his research into hospital and community pharmacy practices. He is providing the evidence for Pharmacy to argue its case with governments and their agencies, and he is pioneering professional pathways that will serve us into the future. Congratulations Con!

Two of our writers, Karalyn Huxhagen and Jon Aldous, also have a tilt at the trend (supposedly illegal), by manufacturers to engage in Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertising. This is an issue that pharmacy collectively should be looking at very closely.

Enid Meldrum tells us all about the new eTG, a clinical database that is really a mandatory product for all clinical pharmacists.

We would also draw your attention to the ARCHI Toolkit Seminar where there is currently a call for abstracts.
As ARCHI is a clearing house for clinical innovations, both hospital and community pharmacists should be monitoring the publications of this organisation as a means of introducing enhancements into your own practice.
So if you have something innovative, why not make a contribution in your own right?

Neil Johnston
April, 2002

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