The Pharmacy Guild has online training available now to support community pharmacies participating in the national chronic-pain MedsCheck trial.
The CPD-accredited training modules provide specialised training to community pharmacies conducting trial interventions with eligible chronic-pain patients.
The modules will educate pharmacists on the complex condition of chronic pain, including both medicines and non-pharmacological management strategies.
The modules will also explain the specifics of the trial itself, including public health benefits of the trial, trial design and types of patients that are suitable for invitation to the trial, as well as chronic-pain management support and referral pathways that will be provided by community pharmacists.
Guild National President George Tambassis says the trial will look at increasing the capacity of community pharmacies to contribute to the management of chronic pain.
“The training that has been developed is specifically for community pharmacy and ensures the patient is centre of the trial and its outcomes,” he said.
“There is often a lack of access to appropriate advice and support on chronic pain in the community, and it can be difficult for patients to access effective treatment that is timely and affordable. Having this trial in community pharmacies gives patients living with chronic pain easy access to greater support.”
In addition to the core modules, a series of non-compulsory training modules to support community pharmacies participating in the national trial are being developed by the PSA, which is also developing guidelines for pharmacists providing services for the chronic-pain MedsCheck trial.
The objective of the trial, funded by the Australian government under the 6CPA, is evaluating the efficacy of the chronic-pain MedsCheck service in:
- Preventing incorrect use and/or overuse of pain medication.
- Increasing patients’ pain-medication health literacy.
- Improving their ability to self-manage their chronic pain.
- Improving their overall quality of life.
