AS MEDICINE shortages increasingly force frontline clinical staff into high-stakes treatment decisions that can put patient safety at risk, Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has called on the Federal Government to establish a real-time clinical guidance service to assist healthcare professionals in managing medicine supply disruptions.
With more than 400 medicine shortages listed each day on the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Medicine Shortage Reports Database, the issue is increasingly recognised as a major global healthcare challenge.
A proposed National Medicine Shortages and Discontinuations Clinical Advice Service would be the first of its kind in Australia, with similar models already successful established internationally, including in the UK.
The service could help relieve the current situation where clinicians are often left to manage shortages independently, duplicating work across hospitals and reducing time available for patient care.
"Medicine shortages are placing growing strain on Australia's healthcare system and frequently disrupting treatment delivery," said AdPha president Associate Professor Tom Simpson.
"We have seen situations where early warning signs were missed or where there was no coordinated national clinical response until shortages were already affecting patient care.
"Currently, hospitals and health services are individually developing alternative treatment protocols, duplicating effort across the country and placing unnecessary burden on an already stretched workforce," he continued.
"A nationally coordinated clinical advice service would allow healthcare professionals to access consistent, evidence-based guidance quickly, improving patient safety and supporting more efficient use of clinical resources."
AdPha's pre-budget submission is available HERE.
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