Clinical

Key considerations and a recommended course of action when a pharmacist is asked to supply medication to a third party. Scenario: A 20-year-old man approaches a community pharmacist, requesting the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) for his 18-year-old girlfriend. The man tells the...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in developed countries. The prevalence of AMD is 1.4% at 70 years of age and 5.6% at 80 years of age and 20% at age of 90 years....

Almost 1.45 million Australians have some form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This equates to one in seven Australians over 40 suffering from COPD. Typical symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, chronic cough, unintended...

Neuropathic pain is associated with disability, reduced quality of life and employment, and increased healthcare costs. The prevalence of neuropathic pain in the general population ranges from 7% to 10%.2 The causes of neuropathic pain vary according to the...

Status epilepticus is a medical emergency. It is commonly defined as 30 minutes of continuous seizure activity, or repeated seizures without full recovery of consciousness between attacks. However, as epilepsy seizures generally only last several minutes, the general consensus...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been ranked as serious a threat to society as terrorism. With millions of lives at risk, and trillions in GDP potentially lost, antibiotic misuse must be prevented to avoid widespread resistance. Today, no-one expects a scratch...

For many, the last 12 months of life is spent with significant disability, associated with rising symptom burden and functional decline. A palliative approach aims to ease difficult symptoms, encourage the best quality of life, and offer support for...

Local community pharmacists play a vital role in improving health outcomes for LGBTI people and people living with HIV. There has been greater recognition of the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Australians among an increasing...

A 76-year-old man with past medical history significant for a cerebrovascular accident, pacemaker insertion for sick sinus syndrome and transurethral resection for benign prostatic hyperplasia was rushed to the emergency department.1 The ambient temperature on the day of admission was...

With over-the-counter (OTC) codeine products being upscheduled, pharmacists and pharmacy staff need to review and understand every patient’s pain. In doing so, there’s an opportunity to provide better care and develop deeper relationships with those customers. Much debate and uncertainty...