Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research最新文献

{"title":"Exploring the roles and impacts of pharmacists embedded in general practice: a scoping review","authors":"Christel Chandra MClinPharm, BPharm (hons),&nbsp;Brooke Bevis MClinPharm, BPharm (hons),&nbsp;Holly Foot PhD, BPharm (hons),&nbsp;Nazanin Falconer PhD, BPharm","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The role of the general practice pharmacist (GPP) in Australia is not yet clearly defined, and their clinical expertise remains underutilised in general practice settings. This may be attributed to a limited understanding of pharmacists' capabilities, which can hinder optimal GPP utilisation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This scoping review aimed to evaluate current roles of pharmacists in general practice settings globally, and examine the clinical and cost impacts of these roles.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched for English language articles published from January 2020–April 2025. Studies assessing measurable outcomes, including both roles and impacts, were included. Screening and data extraction followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Data was descriptively and thematically analysed.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Of 972 articles, 21 met the inclusion criteria reporting on interventions completed in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Medication reviews were reported in all studies. Ten studies described specific interventional roles, such as antipsychotic monitoring and transitions of care. Key outcomes included: identification and resolution of medication-related problems, medication interactions, and deprescribing opportunities. Clinically significant reductions in hospital readmissions were reported in several studies, and economic evaluations demonstrated potential cost savings.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>GPPs improve medication safety and health system efficiency. Expanding pharmacist roles to include structured interventions and emerging functions such as prescribing and pathology testing may enhance their impact. Addressing funding models and clarifying role expectations will be critical to supporting broader integration in primary care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"47-61"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Medication Safety in Australia: Reflecting on the Past, Navigating the Present, and Envisioning the Future","authors":"Nazanin Falconer PhD, BPharm, FANZCAP (Research),&nbsp;Elizabeth McCourt PhD, GCPubHlth, BPharm,&nbsp;Michael Barras PhD, GradDipClinPharm, BPharm, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, Research)","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70060","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;More than 25 years after &lt;i&gt;To Err Is Human&lt;/i&gt; highlighted that an alarming 98 000 hospital inpatients die annually from medical errors and adverse events,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; patient safety continues to challenge healthcare systems, including our own.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The burden of patient harm has led to medication safety becoming a global health priority&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; and is a formally recognised national standard for Australian hospitals.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; For pharmacists, this is both a validation of our role and a call to action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From handwritten scripts and manual dispensing to integrated digital platforms, dispensing robots, automated dispensing cabinets, and smart pumps, many exciting changes are currently in play and need to be embedded to optimise patient safety. The next exciting journey is the emerging artifical intelligence (AI) tools and the evolution of medication safety into the future must be shaped by pharmacists at every step. Our profession has driven improvements in system accuracy, accountability, and communication, mostly behind the scenes, but always at the heart of safer and more effective patient care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This special issue of the &lt;i&gt;Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research,&lt;/i&gt; the first within a decade, reflects how far we have come and where we are headed. It highlights the innovations that are reshaping medication safety today and asks what the future might look like for pharmacy practice in Australia over the next 20 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The current landscape of medication safety in Australia is shaped by a confluence of national standards, technological advancements, and our evolving clinical roles. The newly updated &lt;i&gt;Advanced Pharmacy Australia Medication Safety Standards&lt;/i&gt;,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;4&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; align with the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Patient Safety Challenge, and underscore Australian hospital pharmacists' commitment to system-wide safety and accountability.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These standards provide a robust framework to guide a reduction in medication harm and foster a culture of continuous improvement to prevent future harm. Recent evidence also highlights the continued growing challenge of polypharmacy across all age groups, with a scoping review featured in this issue, identifying a lack of validated deprescribing frameworks for adults aged under 65,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;5&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; underscoring the urgent need for targeted strategies to optimise medication use and safety beyond geriatric care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The future of medication safety depends on empowered pharmacists, smarter systems, and a relentless focus on error prediction and prevention. While this edition does not cover every exciting change in practice, it highlights the core principles driving safer medication use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yet, technology alone will not guarantee safety. The human element of compassionate care, ethical decision-making, and interprofessional collaboration will remain central. At the heart of thi","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"3-6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70060","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From digitisation to transformation: modernising medication safety for the digital age","authors":"Michael Bakker BPharm, FANZCAP (Informtcs), CHIA, FAdPha","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70053","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Medication safety has long been grounded in vigilance, education, and audit; fundamentals have shaped the profession's response to risk. Teams reviewed errors, identified risks, and supported clinicians with advice and targeted improvements to address contributing factors to incidents and near misses. But as the scale and complexity of healthcare grows, these traditional approaches — valuable as they are — have reached their limits. Persistent issues like medication-related harm at transitions of care, prescribing in high-risk populations, and failure to act on known risks continue to challenge even the best-staffed and most engaged teams. These problems are not simply ones of intent or capacity; they are increasingly ones of system design, organisational digital maturity, and culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Digital transformation offers medication safety teams new tools and new responsibilities. The critical distinction must be made between the digitisation of medication workflows — turning paper into screens — and transformation, which uses technology to redesign how care is delivered, coordinated, and monitored. Transformation requires the workforce to develop new capabilities in data analysis, system configuration, algorithmic safety, and digital governance. But it must also draw on the established principles of medication safety: interdisciplinary collaboration, human factors and ergonomic thinking, continuous learning, and a deep respect for local context. If we want to go fast, we can digitise alone. If we want to go far, we must transform together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recent updates to the &lt;i&gt;Advanced Pharmacy Australia Medication Safety Standards&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; articulate this integration well. Medication safety pharmacists are positioned not merely as safety auditors, but as strategic leaders within interprofessional teams, responsible for embedding medication safety across all levels of the health service. Their role explicitly includes championing error reduction strategies that align with high-leverage interventions, engaging in digital systems governance, and ensuring safety and quality metrics are evaluated over time — not just in the aftermath of incidents — but through real-time system monitoring and analytics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Technology amplifies both risk and opportunity. This duality is well illustrated in the recent systematic review of machine learning (ML) models for oral anticoagulant dosing included in this issue of the Journal.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; While some models demonstrated impressive predictive performance, most lacked external validation and real-world testing. Many failed to include critical clinical features, such as renal function or pharmacogenetic variables, and only one study linked predictions to clinical outcomes. This underscores a central challenge in modern medication safety: technological innovation is accelerating, but without robust clinical governance, system alignment, and transparent oversight, we risk deploying digi","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"10-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70053","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147562759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From digitisation to transformation: modernising medication safety for the digital age","authors":"Michael Bakker BPharm, FANZCAP (Informtcs), CHIA, FAdPha","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70053","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Medication safety has long been grounded in vigilance, education, and audit; fundamentals have shaped the profession's response to risk. Teams reviewed errors, identified risks, and supported clinicians with advice and targeted improvements to address contributing factors to incidents and near misses. But as the scale and complexity of healthcare grows, these traditional approaches — valuable as they are — have reached their limits. Persistent issues like medication-related harm at transitions of care, prescribing in high-risk populations, and failure to act on known risks continue to challenge even the best-staffed and most engaged teams. These problems are not simply ones of intent or capacity; they are increasingly ones of system design, organisational digital maturity, and culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Digital transformation offers medication safety teams new tools and new responsibilities. The critical distinction must be made between the digitisation of medication workflows — turning paper into screens — and transformation, which uses technology to redesign how care is delivered, coordinated, and monitored. Transformation requires the workforce to develop new capabilities in data analysis, system configuration, algorithmic safety, and digital governance. But it must also draw on the established principles of medication safety: interdisciplinary collaboration, human factors and ergonomic thinking, continuous learning, and a deep respect for local context. If we want to go fast, we can digitise alone. If we want to go far, we must transform together.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Recent updates to the &lt;i&gt;Advanced Pharmacy Australia Medication Safety Standards&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; articulate this integration well. Medication safety pharmacists are positioned not merely as safety auditors, but as strategic leaders within interprofessional teams, responsible for embedding medication safety across all levels of the health service. Their role explicitly includes championing error reduction strategies that align with high-leverage interventions, engaging in digital systems governance, and ensuring safety and quality metrics are evaluated over time — not just in the aftermath of incidents — but through real-time system monitoring and analytics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Technology amplifies both risk and opportunity. This duality is well illustrated in the recent systematic review of machine learning (ML) models for oral anticoagulant dosing included in this issue of the Journal.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; While some models demonstrated impressive predictive performance, most lacked external validation and real-world testing. Many failed to include critical clinical features, such as renal function or pharmacogenetic variables, and only one study linked predictions to clinical outcomes. This underscores a central challenge in modern medication safety: technological innovation is accelerating, but without robust clinical governance, system alignment, and transparent oversight, we risk deploying digi","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"10-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70053","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147562764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An innovative pharmacy clinical educator program reimagining clinical training for hospital pharmacists","authors":"Christine Pho BPharm (Hons), GradCertPharmPrac, FANZCAP (Edu., Paeds),&nbsp;Connie Yin BPharm, FANZCAP (Compound., MedSafety),&nbsp;Graham Rivers BSc (Hons), PgD Pharm Practice,&nbsp;Sue Kirsa BPharm, GradDipHospPharm, FSHP,&nbsp;Samanta Lalic BPharm (Hons), MPharmPrac, PhD","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70046","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian hospital pharmacy workforce experienced unprecedented employee turnover, necessitating widespread recruitment of pharmacists with limited or no prior hospital experience. Despite availability of training programs for pre-registrant and early career pharmacists, training frameworks for new-to-hospital ward pharmacists were lacking.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aim&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;To design a robust Pharmacy clinical educator (PCE) program that expedited ward readiness of new-to-hospital pharmacists.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Method&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;A PCE senior pharmacist designed and implemented the PCE program across a seven-site, 2100-bed tertiary hospital, located in Victoria, Australia. Twenty-six experienced hospital pharmacists were credentialed as PCEs through undertaking entrustable professional activity (EPA) assessments and attending two 2-day workshops focusing on adult learning principles and effective feedback. PCEs partnered 1:1 with learners and tailored the training program to the learner's prior experience and goals. Pre- and post-program learner surveys were completed and analysed. This study was exempt due to the local policy requirements that constitute research by Monash Health Research Support Services (Reference no: RES-23-0000-468Q). The justification for this exemption was as follows: the study conforms with the National Health and Medical Research Council &lt;i&gt;Ethical considerations in quality assurance and evaluation activities&lt;/i&gt; and utilised only routinely collected data to maintain and assess a new service provided and to improve the program. Informed consent was not required per Monash Health Quality Assurance Policy and Procedure, but to ensure transparency, a written statement was provided at the beginning of the survey, outlining its purpose and explaining data would be anonymous and confidential and be used for program evaluation. The research did not include any assessment of staff.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;From August 2022–September 2024, 274 learners partnered with a PCE; 204 learners undertook the standard training program. Overall, of these 204 learners, 92% (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 187) of standard program learners completed their training and were practising on wards independently, while 8% (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 17) of learners were in progress in the program. PCEs completed 2370 EPA assessments and of the 118 post-program survey respondents 75% (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 88) agreed EPAs were valuable to their training and 83% (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 98) agreed that dedicated time with a PCE was impactful to their practise.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/se","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"76-88"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147567539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advanced Pharmacy Australia Medication Safety Standards","authors":"Toni Howell BPharm, GradDipClinPharm, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), FAdPha,&nbsp;Wendy Ewing BPharm, FANZCAP (MedSafety), AdPhaM,&nbsp;Claire Fitzgerald BPharm, GradDipClinPharm, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), FAdPha,&nbsp;Kerry Fitzsimons BPharm, MClinPharm, FAdPha,&nbsp;Chris Giles BPharm, GCHealthServMgt (Safe&Qual), FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), AdPhaM,&nbsp;Linda Graudins BPharm, DipHospPharm, PostGradDipClinPharmacoEpi, FANZCAP (MedSafety), FSHP,&nbsp;Nam-Anh Nguyen BPharm (Hons), GradDipClinPharm, DipLeadMgt, FANZCAP (MedsMgmt, MedSafety), AdPhaM,&nbsp;Lisa Robertson BPharm, PGDipPharmPrac, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), FAdPha,&nbsp;Yee Mellor BPharm, MCncrSc, FANZCAP (Generalist, Edu.), AdPhaM","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70056","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"126-143"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147570358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimising outpatient care: insights from a pharmacist-led Complex Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (COpAT) monitoring clinic","authors":"Maryam Sherkat Masoum BPharm (Hons), MClinPharm,&nbsp;Vijeyadezmi Ganasan BSc (Hons), MD,&nbsp;Claire M. Italiano MBBS, MPHTM, FRACP","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70042","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Complex Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (COpAT) offers a safe and effective alternative to intravenous therapy for select infections and reduces hospital length of stay and vascular access complications. However, prolonged oral therapy requires monitoring due to the risk of adverse effects, with infectious diseases pharmacists well-positioned to lead such services. In November 2023, a pharmacist-led virtual clinic was trialled at an Australian tertiary hospital to monitor patients on prolonged oral antimicrobials. Over 9 months, the COpAT pharmacist (0.2 full-time equivalent [FTE]) conducted 103 telephone reviews for 46 patients, leading to over 100 interventions, including managing 6 moderate–severe adverse events and preventing 3 emergency department visits or admissions. No clinic-related adverse outcomes occurred. Financial analysis showed that Activity-Based Funding revenue offset labour costs, supporting the sustainability of the clinic. This pharmacist-led COpAT service demonstrated clinical and economic benefits while improving patient safety and reducing healthcare utilisation. This project was exempt due to the local policy requirements that constitute research by the East Metropolitan Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee and registered as a quality improvement project by Royal Perth Bentley Group's Governance, Evidence, Knowledge, Outcomes (Reference no: GEKO54641). The justification for this exemption was as follows: the project only utilised anonymised data collected as part of routine clinical practice, presented minimal patient risk, and conforms with the National Health and Medical Research Council <i>Ethical considerations in quality assistance and evaluation activities</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"115-119"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70042","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147570382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of collaborative pharmacist prescribing on patient safety, patient flow, and pharmacists' workload","authors":"Brett Jamie Anderson BPharm (Hons), GradCertPharmPrac, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, Research),&nbsp;Kerryn Griffett BPharm (Hons), MPharmPrac, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, Research),&nbsp;Michelle Nalder BPharm (Hons), MClinPharm,&nbsp;Alex Edwards BPharm (Hons), MClinPharm, FANZCAP (Edu., Lead&Mgmt),&nbsp;Johnny Nguyen BPharm,&nbsp;Annabelle Hargreaves BPharm, MClinPharm, FANZCAP (GenMed, Lead&Mgmt),&nbsp;Jane Stephens BPharm, FANZCAP (GenMed, Generalist),&nbsp;Paul Toner MPharm, DipClinPharm, Msc, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety)","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70057","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Pharmacists play a critical role in the hospital discharge process by ensuring the accuracy and appropriateness of medication orders. Electronic prescribing enables pharmacists to pend discharge prescription orders, which medical staff use to generate the discharge prescription.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To measure the impact of pharmacist-pended discharge prescriptions on patient safety, patient flow and pharmacists' workload compared to medical staff-generated prescriptions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This single-centre study had two cohorts comprised of surgical and medical inpatient units; each cohort had two arms: one where the pharmacist pended discharge orders, and another where medical staff generated prescriptions. Independent pharmacists reviewed the printed prescriptions to identify errors. The proportion of patients discharged prior to 10am and the impact on pharmacists' workload were measured. Ethics approval was granted by the Royal Melbourne Hospital's Office for Research (Reference no: QA2022014) and the study conforms to the Australian <i>National statement on ethical conduct in human research</i>.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In total, 442 surgical and 206 medical prescriptions were reviewed. Prescription errors were significantly lower in the pharmacist-pended arm in both cohorts (surgical: 7.0% versus 28.3%, p &lt; 0.001; medical: 6.3% versus 48.4%, p &lt; 0.001) when compared to the respective medical staff-generated arm. Within the surgical cohort, a greater proportion of patients that received pharmacist-pended prescriptions were discharged prior to 10am when compared to those that received prescriptions generated by medical staff (13% versus 5%, p = 0.001). The median time pharmacists spent pending and screening pharmacist-pended prescriptions was similar to the time taken to screen medical staff-generated prescriptions (surgical: 7 min versus 9 min; medical: 15 min vs 15 min).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Involving pharmacists proactively in preparing discharge medication orders significantly improved discharge prescription accuracy and had modest effects on patient flow without increasing the pharmacists' workload.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"106-114"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polypharmacy and super-polypharmacy in non-geriatric, adult populations: a scoping review of characteristics, risks, and deprescribing frameworks","authors":"Jalpesh Trivedi MPharm (QA), BPharm,&nbsp;Nicole Gavin RN, PhD,&nbsp;Gloria Yee Man Wong MBBS, PhD, AFRACMA, FRACP","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70051","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Polypharmacy, typically defined as the concurrent regular use of multiple medications, is a significant concern across various age groups. While much attention has been given to its impact on older adults, the effects on non-geriatric adults with frailty remain relatively uncertain and understudied.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aim&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The purpose of this scoping review was to identify available evidence on the prevalence and assessment management of polypharmacy and super-polypharmacy and guidelines for deprescribing in non-geriatric adults up to 65 years of age.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Design&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;In February 2024, an initial limited search of PubMed using keywords ‘polypharmacy’, ‘super-polypharmacy’ and ‘deprescribing’ was undertaken and used to develop a full search strategy, including all the relevant and identified keywords and index terms. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were followed for this review. Databases included PubMed, EBSCO MEDLINE, EBSCO CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Embase and the searches were conducted in March 2024. Primary, peer reviewed, empirical research (including quantitative, qualitative and quality improvement) studies, that were published in English between January 2000–March 2024 were included.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Seventeen articles met the inclusion criteria. Most studies defined polypharmacy as the concurrent use of five or more medications by a patient. Age and the presence of chronic conditions were consistently identified as common factors contributing to polypharmacy. Most studies identified the need for effective intervention via multidisciplinary teams to identify inappropriate medications. Although included articles did discuss barriers and enablers for deprescribing, no specific information was identified detailing validated deprescribing tools or frameworks for use in adults up to 65 years of age.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Addressing polypharmacy requires a multifaceted approach that includes deprescribing as a pivotal intervention. There is a critical need for further research to develop and validate evidence-based guidelines that specifically identify and manage polypharmacy in non-geriatric adults. These guidelines should be comprehensive, considering the diverse health profiles and treatment complexities of this age ","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"62-75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70051","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aboriginal Health Workers and pharmacists in a two-way learning collaboration: a pilot in a metropolitan Australian hospital","authors":"Susan Welch PhD, BPharm, GradCertPharmPrac, FANZCAP (EmergMed, Research),&nbsp;Phillip Combridge BSpExSc,&nbsp;Kylie Lee PhD, BMus (Hons),&nbsp;Sonia Robinson BN, GradCertClinRedes","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70058","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Aboriginal Peoples experience cultural unsafety in Australian hospitals, adversely affecting access to care and medication. Hospital-based, two-way learning between Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) and pharmacists was proposed to enhance culturally safe pharmacist communication, supporting safe and effective medication practices.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aim&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;To implement evaluate a two-way learning program for AHWs and pharmacists, in a metropolitan hospital located in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Method&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The metropolitan hospital-based two-way learning program was co-created by PC (Wiradjuri), SR (Bundjalung), and SW. Program implementation involved AHWs and ward-based pharmacists visiting Aboriginal patients together during routine care. Prospective evaluation used piloted and semi-structured electronic surveys, sent to AHWs and pharmacists after visits, were used to explore staff perceptions of the program. Quantitative results were descriptively analysed. Qualitative results were thematically analysed. Ethical approval was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committees of the Aboriginal Health &amp; Medical Research Council of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) (Reference no: 1709/20: 11/5/21) and the St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney HREC (Reference no: 2020/ETH01314) and the study conforms with the Australian &lt;i&gt;National statement on ethical conduct in human research&lt;/i&gt;. Informed consent was obtained from all survey participants via distribution of project information indicating survey participation was voluntary and anonymous. In addition, all staff were provided with project information when two-way learning visits were incorporated into routine care and informed their participation in visits was voluntary.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;At the time of the study, 22 pharmacists and 5 AHWs were employed at the study site. All (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 5) the AHWs and almost half (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 10) of the pharmacists participated in the two-way learning visits and the majority of both the AHWs (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 4) and pharmacists (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 19) completed the voluntary survey. Visits increased the confidence of AHWs working with pharmacists and pharmacists in communicating with Aboriginal patients. Most AHWs (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 4) and pharmacists (&lt;i&gt;n&lt;/i&gt; = 8) that participated in two-way learning visits reported changes in their practice and shared positive experiences. An overarching theme of ‘provision of holistic pharmaceutical care’ and four subthemes were identified: patient/family confidence, comfort, and satisfaction; i","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"96-105"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147568543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}