Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research最新文献

{"title":"Machine learning models for predicting dosing of oral anticoagulants: a systematic review","authors":"Michael Barras GradDipClinPharm, BPharm, PhD, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, Research), Leila Shafiee Hanjani BPharm, PhD, Ian A. Scott MBBS, FRACP, MHA, MEd, Ahmad Abdel-Hafez PhD, Nazanin Falconer BPharm, PhD, FANZCAP (Research)","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To identify and appraise studies of machine learning (ML)-derived prediction models for determining the optimal dose of oral anticoagulants (OACs).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Data Sources</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>PubMed, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 31 May 2024 using key terms synonymous with 'artificial intelligence' or 'machine learning', 'prediction', 'dose', and 'oral anticoagulants'. OACs included vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) — warfarin, acenocoumarol, phenprocoumon — and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) — apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Study Selection</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Studies published in English that used ML methods to develop and/or validate models to predict optimal OAC doses in adults, in any healthcare setting were included. A modified checklist, using the Checklist for critical Appraisal and data extraction for systematic Reviews of prediction Modelling Studies (CHARMS), guided data extraction and study appraisal was performed independently by two researchers. This review was conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement and was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (Study registration: PROSPERO CRD42021281150).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Of 7791 abstracts, 164 underwent full-text review and 53 studies met the inclusion criteria. All used supervised learning methods; all but one evaluated VKAs. Of the 53 studies, 77% (<i>n</i> = 41) targeted a ‘stable therapeutic dose’; and only one DOAC study evaluated patient outcomes using apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, and dabigatran. Nine studies (17%) were prospective and two (4%) reported external validation. Of 44 retrospective analyses, 15 (34%) studies used the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetics Consortium (IWPC) dataset, with 12 (23%) reporting external validation. Only four (8%) studies satisfied all pre-determined criteria considered essential for building ML models for OACs. While comparison across studies was challenging, two of the better performing, externally validated models were by Li et al. (2020) and Gu et al. (2022) with an accuracy of 63% and 75% and retrospectively.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Future research should train models on large datasets, including key geneti","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"16-46"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70054","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569203","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":"147566112","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":"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":"147567540","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":"Hospital pharmacist interventions to correct medication errors on discharge prescriptions: a prospective observational study","authors":"Nim Kullar BBiomed, BPharm (Hons), MPharm,&nbsp;Issy Tibb BSc, BPharm, MPharm,&nbsp;Alysha Lam BPharm, MPharm,&nbsp;Rohan A. Elliott BPharm, BPharmSc (Hons), MClinPharm, PhD, FSHP, FANZCAP (GeriMed, Research),&nbsp;Christine Ting BPharm (Hons), GradCertQS, ACHSQIL, CHIA, FANZCAP (Informtcs),&nbsp;Simone E. Taylor PharmD (BPharm), GradCertClinResMeth, FSHP, FANZCAP (EmergMed, Research)","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70048","url":null,"abstract":"<p>At hospital discharge, many patients receive multiple, complex prescriptions, prepared by junior medical staff. Most Australian hospitals have pharmacists review discharge prescriptions to correct errors before they are dispensed or provided to patients. This prospective, observational study quantified the prevalence and types of hospital pharmacist interventions on discharge prescriptions at a tertiary referral metropolitan health service, located in Victoria, Australia. It included consecutive patients discharged on weekdays with a prescription from a general medicine, surgical, or oncology/haematology unit. Data were extracted from prescriptions, electronic medical records, and daily discussions with ward pharmacists. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients whose discharge prescriptions required pharmacist intervention. The 300 patients included were prescribed a median (interquartile range) of 8 (5–11) regular discharge medications. Overall, 199 (66.3%, 95% confidence interval 60.6–71.6%) patients required a total of 477 pharmacist interventions with no significant differences between clinical areas. The predominant intervention types were the removal of unnecessary medications (<i>n</i> = 93, 19.5%), the addition of omitted medications (<i>n</i> = 85, 17.8%), and correction of wrong directions (<i>n</i> = 81, 17.0%). The Australian Digital Health Agency intends to implement electronic hospital discharge prescriptions using electronic tokens (e-tokens). In the community, e-tokens are sent directly from prescribers to patients or their community pharmacy. If discharge prescriptions were to bypass hospital pharmacist review, some errors would be difficult for community pharmacists to detect and easily resolve without access to hospital records and medical teams and some medications require specialised expertise. Therefore, the integration of hospital pharmacist review into electronic discharge workflows is imperative to ensure medication safety prior to e-token transmission. Ethical approval was granted by the Austin Health Human Research and Ethics Committee (Reference no: HREC/107485/Austin-2024) and the study conforms with the Australian <i>National statement on ethical conduct in human research</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"120-125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70048","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147568761","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":"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":"147569077","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":"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":"147570357","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":"Medication safety standards and the World Health Organization global patient safety challenge","authors":"Steven Waller BPharm, MBA, GAICD","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70040","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;The 2017 release of the World Health Organization (WHO) third Global Patient Safety Challenge, Medication Without Harm (the Challenge) aiming to reduce severe avoidable medication-related harm by 50% globally over the ensuing five years,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; marked a significant uplift in medication safety initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Published by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) in April 2020, Australia's first response examined existing evidence and programs that reduce medication-related harm in acute care, primary care, and aged care settings.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; It focused on responding to inappropriate polypharmacy, reducing harm from high-risk medicines, and improving medication safety at transitions of care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In March 2024, the WHO launched two new publications on &lt;i&gt;Medication safety:&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;global burden of preventable medication-related harm in health care&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Medication without harm: policy brief&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;4&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; In the latter, policy options identified to address medication errors focus on safety culture and managing change, and reporting medication errors and learning from those errors to take preventative actions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Building on Australia's original response, in June 2024, the Commission published a status report — &lt;i&gt;Medication without harm WHO global patient safety challenge: Australia's response&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;5&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; — to examine progress made towards the actions outlined in the 2020 report. The findings indicated that many of the priority actions in Australia's response had been or were being implemented. There were also opportunities for improvements to documentation at all transitions of care, and to reduce data and knowledge gaps that impede assessment of progress towards reducing avoidable medication errors, adverse drug events, and medication-related hospital admissions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Against this backdrop, the authors are to be applauded for undertaking this ambitious project to develop the &lt;i&gt;Advanced Pharmacy Australia Medication Safety Standards&lt;/i&gt; and to scope the best practice principles for medication safety pharmacists.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;6&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the challenges in developing standards in Australia's complex health system is to consider and accommodate existing established standards, minimising duplication and repetition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Australia, medication safety programs are guided by the &lt;i&gt;National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Medication Safety Standard&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; in acute care settings, the Clinical safety standard in the &lt;i&gt;National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; in primary care settings and the &lt;i&gt;Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards: strengthened quality standard 5: clinical care&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; in aged care settings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In March 2022, the Commission, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissio","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"13-15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70040","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147562251","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: a collective responsibility; a specialist calling","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 (MedSafety, MedsMgmt), AdPhaM,&nbsp;Lisa Robertson BPharm, PGDipPharmPrac, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), AdPhaM","doi":"10.1002/jppr.70052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.70052","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Medication safety — and by extension, patient safety — is an expectation of consumers, clinicians, and healthcare organisations. But in a health system that is increasingly complex and resource-challenged, how do we meet this expectation? And more importantly, how do we lead confidently and sustainably and with impact?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Globally, preventable medication-related harm remains one of the leading causes of avoidable injury in health systems. Prescribing, dispensing, administration, monitoring, and communication: the risks of harm are present at every step of the medication management cycle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reducing harm requires more than good intentions; it demands deliberate, system-wide strategies, supported by informed leadership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and strong clinical governance. This is where the role of specialist pharmacists in medication safety becomes not only valuable but also essential.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, medication safety is a recognised speciality in pharmacy, though this has not always been the case. Many of us entered this field driven by a desire to do better for our patients, without roadmaps or formal frameworks. Some pharmacists now hold dedicated medication safety roles, while for others, medication safety responsibilities are woven into a broader portfolio. Whatever the pathway, pharmacists across Australia have continued to lead, shape, and champion safer medication practices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The maturity of medication safety programs varies widely across health services. Some are well-established and resourced; others are emerging, still building foundations. Each setting offers an opportunity — for review, influence, and growth. This issue includes the newly updated &lt;i&gt;Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) Medication Safety Standards&lt;/i&gt;,&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; which have been updated from 2012&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; to provide a contemporary and considered framework to reflect innovations and support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, regardless of their starting point.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The standards are designed to guide practice in any setting — from rural hospitals to major metropolitan health services, whether public or private, and increasingly beyond the hospital walls. It provides quality statements and practical tools and resources that encourage local adaptation, innovation, and benchmarking to support safer systems and to reduce preventable harm.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to lead in this space. With expertise spanning therapeutics, systems thinking, data analysis, high-risk medicines, and change management, pharmacists bring a critical lens to identify latent risks and co-design safer practices. This includes evaluating workflows, advising on policy, educating clinicians, and supporting consumers. Medication safety pharmacists play a pivotal role in identifying error-prone processes, investigating incidents, and proposing solutions to reduce variability and improve outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tech","PeriodicalId":16795,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research","volume":"56 1","pages":"7-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jppr.70052","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147562757","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":"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":"147570383","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":"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":"147566396","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}