Latest research from Monash University shows one in five people with sleep apnoea suffer from clinical depression and almost a quarter use antidepressants. The study explored the prevalence of depression and antidepressant use in 109 patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and found 22.7 per cent had clinical depression. …

The National Retail Association (NRA) has publicly backed the government’s promised personal and business tax cuts as being good for retailers. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb this week urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to make the tax cuts his top priority, in order to put extra money into consumers’ pockets. “Both …

Hospital admissions have risen faster than population growth, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The report, ‘Admitted patient care 2017–18: Australian hospital statistics’, showed that 60 per cent of the 11.3 million hospital admissions were to public hospitals, and that over the …

The announcement by Queensland Health of its commitment to introduce a real-time prescription monitoring system has been welcomed by the Pharmacy Guild’s Queensland branch. Guild Queensland Branch President Professor Trent Twomey said such a system would combat ‘doctor shopping’ and reduce preventable deaths across the state. “Providing immediate access to …

‘Dementia-friendly’ pharmacy training is coming to Queensland with the Pharmacy Guild’s Queensland Branch successfully acquiring funding to enable 30 pharmacies to become dementia friendly. The funding is part of the Queensland government’s ‘Advancing Queensland: An age-friendly community grants program’. The Guild’s Dementia Friendly Pharmacy Program will now recruit 30 pharmacies …

Registrations for the 2019 Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s National Student Business Plan Competition are now closed, with 12 teams set to compete for this year’s prize. The competition, which originated in 2006, is designed to encourage innovation among pharmacy students who will be the future owners of Australia’s community pharmacies. …

Criticism from doctors over the Tasmanian government’s decision to allow pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to children from the age of 10 is misguided and ill-informed, Pharmacy Guild Tasmanian President John Dowling says. His comments are in response to RACGP President Harry Nespolon’s claims that the state government’s decision could …

Digital medication management company MedAdvisor’s 50:50 joint venture with Zuellig Pharma (ZPM), is off and running with the signing of its first customer. The customer, MedExpress Drugstores, is the leading hospital outpatient pharmacy chain in the Philippines, serving 1.5 million customers in 50 key hospitals nationwide. MedExpress is also the …

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) looks forward to working with the re-elected Morrison government to address medicine safety, negotiating the next Community Pharmacy Agreement and delivering better healthcare for all Australians. “PSA’s ‘Pharmacists in 2023’ report shows how an evolved healthcare system can empower pharmacists to provide more effective …

Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) has welcomed National Volunteer Week’s 2019 theme, ‘Making a world of difference’, taking the opportunity to acknowledge the nationwide impact of its “small but mighty” volunteer team of 12. As the national authority on advance care planning, ACPA has empowered thousands of Australians to plan …