First Pharmacy Trial program to launch next month.
Health Minister Sussan Ley has just confirmed the in-pharmacy Diabetes Screening Services trial will get under way in November, with about 360 metro, regional and rural pharmacies across Australia expected to take part.
It’s the first trial under the government’s $50 million Pharmacy Trial program, with Ley saying it has been designed to test a variety of approaches to detecting diabetes in pharmacy.
The program will see patients use a validated AUDSRISK questionnaire to test for the risk of diabetes, as well as the use of further point of care tests to confirm whether the disease is present. “Patients will be referred to their general practitioner appropriately based on the outcomes of the questionnaire and tests,” Ley said.
“The Pharmacy Trial Program represents a transformative opportunity for the pharmacy profession, enabling it to continue to build upon its existing dispensing role by trialling new approaches to providing primary care services,” she added.
The government-funded trial is being conducted by the University of Sydney and Deakin University, in partnership with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
More details in tomorrow’s issue of Pharmacy Daily.
