Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has released a new edition of ‘Don’t Rush to Crush’, Australia’s essential guide to safely administering oral medicines to people with enteral feeding tubes or swallowing difficulties. This marks the shift to a fully digital resource.
AdPha President Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the shift to cease printing
reflects growing user preference to access the resource online, while enabling more detail
and more regular updates.
“We’re pleased to re-launch Don’t Rush to Crush+, with the online format enabling a
more flexible and targeted presentation of monographs and an agile response to
changes and new information.
“Updates to monographs will now be released four times a year, with a focus on a
different therapeutic classes each quarter.”
“The shift respects that health professionals and trainees – including pharmacists and
pharmacy students, nurses and nursing students, health professionals in aged care,
speech pathologists and dietitians – prefer the accessibility and convenience of online
information.”
“While we may still print Don’t Rush to Crush on-demand or to aid accessibility, the
move represents a more environmentally sustainable approach to this staple of
patient care in Australia.”
Dr Lisa Pont FANZCAP (Edu.GeriMed), Chair of the Don’t Rush to Crush Editorial
Committee and member of the AdPha Geriatric Medicine Leadership Committee, says the
new edition increases focus on patient safety, informed by collaborative research.
“The recommendations in Don’t Rush to Crush+ are informed by our most
comprehensive dispersion testing of tablets and capsules to date, with more than 160
medicines tested for physical suitability of administration into enteral feeding tubes, in
partnership with the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at University of
Tasmania. Testing of another 150 plus medicines is underway, to inform future updates.”
“The new edition also clearly highlights tablets or capsules that are considered large,
given evidence that suggests large tablets and capsules may increase the risk of choking, even for people without recognised swallowing difficulties.”
Don’t Rush to Crush+ is now available via the eMIMS and AusDI platforms.
