A NEW pilot program has revealed that pharmacists are crucial in providing high-quality home-based palliative care to patients, especially in rural settings.
The University of South Australia research, in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, uncovered significant benefits that pharmacists bring including superior medication management, enhanced communication channels between patients and healthcare providers, and a reduction in the need for general practitioner visits.
Focused on the rural regions of South Australia, the real-world study emphasised the transformative role of pharmacists in easing the journey for patients preferring to spend their final days at home.
With global palliative care needs rising sharply - 56.8 million in need of such care annually, including 25.7 million in the last year of life - this research is timely.
Currently, a mere 14% receive palliative care, highlighting a gap that pharmacists are well-positioned to fill, said the program's lead researcher and pharmacist Tash Downing.
"Our study found that including a pharmacist in the rural palliative care team can help alleviate rural workforce shortages and improve the quality of care that is available for rural palliative patients," Downing explained.
She added that a locally-based pharmacist provides more choice for palliative patients.
"They can receive trusted care in their own home, they have a local team who can coordinate prescriptions and medications, they don't have to travel as much to appointments, and their level of distress is lower."
This is particularly relevant in rural areas, where healthcare resources are stretched thin.
The pilot program, funded by the South Australian Department for Health and Wellbeing, allowed pharmacists to provide essential care directly to patients at home, showing marked improvements in care quality and accessibility for rural palliative patients.
Dr Gemma Skaczkowski, a co-researcher, noted the pilot program's effectiveness and called for further exploration into sustainable funding and broader implementation of it.
"Our findings underscore the indispensable role of pharmacists in palliative care, promising a better quality of life for patients across the board," Skaczkowski remarked. JG
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