Australian Prescriber Podcast

Laura Beaton chats with Nadia Mouchaileh, senior pharmacist, and Jillian Cameron, head of movement disorders and consultant neurologist at Austin Health, about device-assisted therapies for Parkinson disease. They discuss the benefits vs traditional therapies, when to refer patients to a specialised movement disorder centre and what to look for when caring for a patient using a device. Read the full article in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah talks to Debra Kennedy, director of MotherSafe, about her paper on drug safety in pregnancy. Debra discusses the key considerations when stopping or starting a medicine during pregnancy, and the ways in which medicines can affect developing fetuses. Debra also explains the Australian categorisation system for prescribing medicines in pregnancy. Read the full article by Debra and her co-author, Ronald Batagol, in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera speaks with Lee Fong, a medical advisor for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, about the need to establish a national clinical care standard for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lee explains how the Standard can be used to identify gaps in care and optimise the management of patients with COPD. Read the full article by Lee and his co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

David Liew talks to Claire Larter, a medical officer at the pharmacovigilance branch of the TGA, about her paper on adverse event reporting. Claire explains why pharmacovigilance is important for clinicians, and outlines what type of adverse events should be reported. The conversation also covers the process of reporting adverse events and how the TGA handles reports. Read the full article by Claire and her co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton chats with Paul Kubler, director of Rheumatology at Royal Brisbane and Women's hospital, about how to identify and manage antiphospholipid syndrome. They discuss the key presentations of APS, classification criteria and approaches to treatment. They also cover patients with catastrophic APS and asymptomatic people with persistent antiphospholipid antibodies. Read the full article by Paul and his co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

Eileen Cole, GP lead at QUIT, and Jennifer Kyi, pharmacist advisor at QUIT, delve into the emerging role of therapeutic vapes in smoking cessation. They discuss upcoming legislative reforms in Australia that will impact the sale of vapes, set to start in July 2024. The conversation highlights current trends in smoking and vaping, the updated guidelines for health professionals, and the complexities of prescribing vaping products. They emphasize the importance of personalized strategies for effective cessation and the crucial role of pharmacists in this landscape.

In this episode Dhineli Perera speaks to John Turnidge, who leads the national surveillance program for Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia. They discuss the significant impact of the pandemic on reducing antibiotic use in the community, and how this benefit can be sustained and improved on. Read the full article by John and his co-authors, Carolyn Hullick and Kim Stewart, in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton chats with Debbie Rigby, from the National Asthma Council, about her paper on inhaler device selection for people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Debbie outlines the different types of inhalers available, and explains their benefits, limitations and environmental considerations. They also discuss ensuring patients are using their inhalers effectively. Read the full article by Debbie in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah talks to Tom Simpson, President, and Jerry Yik, Head of Policy and Advocacy, at Advanced Pharmacy Australia. They discuss the ongoing challenge of medicine shortages in Australia, and advise on how to identify, communicate and manage shortages using available resources. Read the full article by Tom and Jerry in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton chats with endocrinologist Jillian Tay about her article on the pharmacological management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). They discuss the 2023 international PCOS guideline, including updates to the diagnostic criteria, and different pharmacological treatments to manage symptoms of PCOS. Read the full article by Jillian and her co-author, Carolyn Ee, in Australian Prescriber.