Developing new antibiotics is important in the fight against antibiotic resistance. But we also need to use the antibiotics we already have much more wisely – GPs play a major role in this.
A new review of Australian health care workers’ scope of practice should focus on expanding pharmacists prescribing for stable conditions and long-term medications, under the direction of a GP.
The big news on budget night was a tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. It’s hoped to stem the decline in bulk billing – but it’s unclear if it will increase it.
Widely adopted in the US when pandemic precautions kept people home, telehealth faces a challenge as insurance coverage changes, right when its popularity had surged.
As public figures and some in the media touted hydroxychloroquine, prescriptions skyrocketed.
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When news reports tout a drug, people get interested, even if the benefits are unproven. Patient hopes, requests and demands can easily turn into real prescriptions in their doctor’s office.
Prominent GP and former MP Kerryn Phelps has weighed into the doctor-pharmacist turf war, saying pharmacists shouldn’t prescribe because of their financial interests. But the evidence says otherwise.
More women would favour the pill over less reliable forms of contraception if it was available without prescription.
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New modelling shows skipping the need for a doctors’ prescription and going straight to a pharmacist for the pill could save the health system A$96 million a year and improve women’s health outcomes.
A study that shows GPs are prescribing about five million too many antibiotic scripts a year means we have to take a radical new approach to reducing use of these drugs.
Now you can find out who’s wining and dining our doctors, nurses and pharmacists with publicly available data of drug company funded events.
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Drug companies funded more than 116,000 educational events for doctors over four years. Now you can find out exactly which companies footed the bills and how much they paid.
If doctors prescribe generic drugs rather than their brand name equivalents, most times patients benefit.
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A push towards prescribing generic medications rather than their branded equivalents, as flagged in the budget, may have benefits beyond simple cost savings.
Nurses have taken on a surprising number of tasks that were once the preserve of doctors. And they do them exceptionally well.
Off-label use is when an approved medicine is prescribed for a different reason, at a different dose, or in different patient groups than originally intended.
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The off-label use of medicines is not illegal and it doesn’t mean regulators have specifically “disapproved” its use. But there are a number of issues to consider before using a medicine off-label.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne