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Nurses before pharmacists for minor illnesses: AMA

by Michael Woodhead

The AMA has attacked calls to make pharmacists the first point of call for treating minor ailments, saying such a move would put patients at risk of missed diagnoses and adverse events from polypharmacy.

The lobby group for OTC medicine manufacturers said yesterday proposed that patients with complaints such as colds, sore throats and bad backs be diverted from overworked GPs towards the retail pharmacy.

In a budget submission, the industry suggested a target of cutting GP visits by 20%, or 20,000 visits a day, using a  Department of Health-run  ‘Health Transformation Program’  to promote pharmacy as the first port of call for such cases.

But AMA Federal vice president, Dr Steve Hambleton says ‘minor ailments’ are often precursors to more serious conditions and require proper diagnosis in a primary care setting.

“Doctors are skilled in diagnosis, pharmacists aren’t,” he says.

“The AMA supports people having greater education and awareness about their health and pursuing self management when it is safe to do so, but much of that education and awareness should come from their GP in the first instance.

Dr Hambleton says the best way to relieve GP workload on minor ailments would be to extend Medicare support for general practice nurses to perform more work on behalf of GPs within general practice.

“Expanding the role of general practice nurses will help ensure that patients with minor ailments receive timely diagnosis and follow-up care – including education and awareness – in the general practice setting.

“This way, minor ailments will not become major ailments,” Dr Hambleton says.

5 February 2010
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Latest Comments

  • Telling non-doctors that they are not qualified to make a diagnosis is a waste of time. These non-doctors must be made responsible for their action in a court of law. This includes everyone who gives advice or pills or potions or herbal stuff as well as performing procedure. As doctors we need to document these actions when we see patients so we do not end up being the scapegoat when the health of these people are compromised.

    Posted by Ling Yoong 5/02/2010 7:32:03 PM

  • The AMA is completely out of touch with what most people have done and will continue to do with their minor health problems. People have consulted their pharmacist for minor health problems for many years. The AMA is implying that most people have been foolish in choosing a pharmacist rather than a GP for their minor health problem. I disagree. The volume of people consulting their pharmacists is so large, that if all people stopped consulting their pharmacists right now, we'd find the GP services would be flooded more than they are. Furthermore, at any one time, the pharmacists and GPs are the two most common health professionals people consult in the community. Yet if the AMA were to actually look at what happens in the community, they would find that both the Pharmacists and the GPs are being ignored by about 75% of people with their minor health problems. It turns out that most people are more sensible than what the AMA is suggesting and treat themselves for their minor illness problems.

    --

    Marjan Kljakovic MB ChB, FRNZCGP, FRACGP, PhD

    Professor of General Practice

    Australian National University Medical School

    School of General Practice, Rural, and Indigenous Health

    Director of Academic Unit of General Practice and Community Health

    Posted by Marjan Kljakovic 5/02/2010 7:33:16 PM

  • I'm all for giving Nurses an extended role in treating Minor illnesses, and also running chronic Illness Clinics etc. It's up to Medicare to give suitable item numbers to allow this. Pharmacists often give helpful advice, and most know their limits.

    Posted by John Mayer 6/02/2010 1:35:05 AM

  • The problem is not about people self-managing their minor illness with a pharmacist or whoever else they regard as "the right one" for "this illness" - it is that a commercial interest is promoting increase in sale of their products - OTC drugs of largely questionable value. The issue of real concern allowing this to go ahead is one of even more medicalisation of everyday life which - unfortunately - also includes irritating minor self-limiting ailments.

    Posted by Joachim Sturmberg 6/02/2010 9:36:41 AM

  • It really is simple, if people want to get treated by non-doctors then when something goes wrong don't blame doctors.You can't have it both ways.

    Posted by simon 6/02/2010 10:26:59 AM

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