Thu 14 November 2024
AdPha’s Clinical Pharmacy Standards released on eve of MM2024
New benchmark for contemporary and emerging pharmacy practices that complete the patient journey in and out of hospital.
The Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) Clinical Pharmacy Standards were published overnight, a comprehensive update of Australia’s foremost standards for clinical pharmacy practice defined by 22 new Quality Statements, focus on person-centred care throughout the patient journey, and ensuring equitable access to high quality pharmacy care for Australians across all care settings.
Welcoming the publication as pre-conference sessions begin at Medicines Management 2024 (MM2024) in Adelaide, AdPha President Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the release is timely, with practitioner scope of practice in sharp focus.
‘Collaboration is a key theme woven throughout and is at our organisation’s very core, with multidisciplinary team-based care the native habit in which advanced pharmacy is forged.
‘It is clear that maximum impact of pharmacist expertise can only be realised when the entire pharmacy workforce practices to the top of scope, including pharmacy technicians and assistants, and their contributions are clear throughout this landmark document.
‘Person-centred care partnerships are another central theme of AdPha’s Clinical Pharmacy Standards; when pharmacists contribute their expertise up-front in the decision-making process, better outcomes are achieved for patients and the health system.’
Mr Simpson says while different hospitals and health services will meet different elements of AdPha’s Clinical Pharmacy Standards, the central patient focus is unwavering.
‘The Standards embed evidence-based best practice at every level, which we know is not being universally achieved across Australia’s health system today.
‘Our patients deserve the quality of health care that can only be achieved when these Standards are ubiquitously applied; they represent the “goal state” for the journey our health system must take.
‘The breadth of the AdPha Clinical Pharmacy Standards spans every element of the Australian health system in which patients, pharmacy practitioners, and medicines intersect and interact.
‘This is crucial a point in the evolution of hospital pharmacy: we cannot solely focus on the five days a person may spend in hospital, disregarding the other 360 days of their year.’
Mr Simpson says at their core, the Standards provide overarching governance of advanced and specialty pharmacy practice, informed by the leading expertise of AdPha members.
‘AdPha’s Clinical Pharmacy Standards are agnostic of care setting. Whether on a ward, in aged care, general practice, or at home — the person receiving care is wrapped in individual patient care activities undertaken by pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians and assistants.
‘AdPha’s constitution states our overriding purpose is to improve health outcomes from medicines use within hospitals and/or other healthcare facilities or settings; this is the “what”, and the Clinical Pharmacy Standards are the “how”.
‘As well as a blueprint for best patient care, the Standards provide guidance on the provision of clinical pharmacy services that underpin contemporary medicines management, shaped by input from hundreds of members and external organisations, reflecting the rapidly evolving pharmacy landscape in Australia.
‘They have been meticulously updated for current and leading practice, and I thank Editorial Committee Chair Professor Michael Dooley for his leadership and all editors and reviewers for their contributions.’
The Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) Clinical Pharmacy Standards (2024) are available in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research (JPPR), Australia’s leading scientific pharmacy journal, through member-only Early View.