Page 10 - Submission to the 2015-16 Federal Budget

Integrating pharmacists into Aboriginal Health Services
Appropriate, effective interactions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with culturally responsive clinical pharmacists could improve medication adherence and reduce the progression of chronic disease.81
Poor adherence to prescribed medicines is well documented and associated with adverse health outcomes in all population groups.82 Social circumstances, deficiencies in health services and systems mean Aboriginal people often suffer even greater challenges in medicine management than non‐Indigenous Australians. Social and emotional wellbeing issues may deeply pervade the lives of many Aboriginal people and may diminish the value that individuals place upon medicines and the potential of these medicines to improve their quality of life.83
Aboriginal Health Services (AHSs) play an important role in the primary health care of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people.84 AHSs are comfortable, safe environments that understand and address Aboriginal patients’ needs. AHSs
are multidisciplinary services which address
the need for more holistic, accessible primary healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Having pharmacists embedded within AHSs would facilitate the training of culturally responsive pharmacists and the building of relationship and trust between pharmacists and AHS Aboriginal patients and staff. Such relationships with patients together with closer collaboration with AHS GPs and other health professionals could assist continuity of care and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their medication choices and management.
Role
A clinical pharmacist employed within an AHS would deliver medication advice and education to consumers and staff, and work with both consumers and other health professionals to improve medication adherence and reduce medication misadventure through tailoring medication regimens and overseeing medication management processes.
Other activities that pharmacists are well‐equipped to deliver within an AHS include health promotion, disease prevention initiatives, and assistance with
10 Integrating pharmacists into primary care teams I ©Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Ltd.