Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of telehealth, community pharmacy has played a crucial role in metabolic care. The importance of that role is only set to grow.
Pharmacy Guild Queensland Branch President Chris Owen points to blood pressure monitoring as one way that the role of community pharmacy has evolved due to telehealth.
“To use the services of a pharmacy is something that’s going to be a more evolving role, especially around point-of-care testing,” he said.
“Pharmacists will be able to play a preventative role and also a monitoring role for those people who are diagnosed with disease going forward.”
Mr Owen says the North Queensland Full Scope of Practice pilot, starting next year, will allow trained pharmacists to perform diagnoses and prescribe medications for low-risk cardiovascular conditions and metabolic conditions around diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.
“It won’t be necessarily in conjunction with a doctor but will be with the awareness of the wider team,” he said.
“It will be prescribing as per the therapeutic guidelines, which is exactly what the doctors would do, but it’s not being done under the supervision of the doctor per se.”
Mr Owen says it’s a practice that has already been rolled out in countries including Canada, the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Independent research commissioned by the Guild Queensland Branch shows that more than three-quarters of Queenslanders surveyed are in favour of the pilot, with support even higher among those with chronic diseases and conditions.
To take part in the pilot, pharmacists will have to undertake further postgraduate study, supervised for 12-16 months.
Meanwhile, a welcome development for people with type 1 diabetes is the expansion of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Subsidy through participating pharmacies.
The subsidy allows people to obtain from their local pharmacy a continuous glucose monitor that they can wear on their body to measure their blood glucose levels, saving them from having to prick their fingers several times a day.
Australian Diabetes Society CEO Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos says the monitor allows people to measure their blood glucose levels more frequently, meaning better blood glucose management and less chance of ending up in hospital. The monitor is provided for free through the National Diabetes Services Scheme.
“The scheme exists at the moment for people with type 1 diabetes under the age of 21, and over the age of 21 with concession card status, as well as women who are planning [to have a baby] or are pregnant,” he explained.
“The current government has committed to expand the scheme to all people with type 1 diabetes, regardless of concession card status.”
Associate Professor Andrikopoulos says community pharmacists can also help with prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes, such as weight-loss products.
“The pharmacist has a key role in providing advice with respect to the lifestyle management of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes,” he said.
“It would also relate to things like sleep apnoea and fatty liver disease, for instance.”
Mr Owen says the major development over the past 12 months, in terms of diabetes and weight loss, has been the rise of Ozempic and Trulicity.
“They’re injectable products used for glycaemic control, but they’ve been used for weight loss as well,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mr Owen sees major changes occurring within community pharmacy, especially in terms of monitoring diabetes.
“I think in the next five to 10 years that pharmacists will be able to adjust anti-hypoglycaemic agents, adjust doses, perform the diagnosis of obesity, and be able to provide safe, low-risk treatments.
“And I believe over the next five to 10 years that pharmacists will be playing a primary role as opposed to a secondary role that we currently have: a little bit subservient to the doctors.
“We’ll be that primary healthcare resource, that initial diagnosis screening and monitoring of all those metabolic conditions.”
This article was originally published in the July issue of Retail Pharmacy magazine.
