Pharmacy Daily | RACGP takes a swipe

EMPOWERING pharmacists to provide "minor ailment" services will create "false economies" leaving patients out-of-pocket, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) claims.

Responding to the results of a study by University of Technology Sydney researcher, Sarah Dineen-Griffin, which found more than one-in-five GP services and 12% of emergency department presentations could be managed in a community pharmacy setting, delivering saving of up to $1.3 billion, RACGP Expert Committee - Quality Care Chair, Mark Morgan, expressed concerns.

Dineen-Griffin's research found pharmacists involved in the study recommended safer and more appropriate products when patients were self-selecting, while patients who were referred to another health practitioner were more likely to adhere to the pharmacist's advice and seek treatment, than when pharmacists did not offer advice.

However, Morgan warned that "interpreting this study requires care," in an interview with the RACGP's GPnews website.

"Overseas experiences demonstrate that minor ailments schemes struggle even in countries where there is greatly reduced access to general practice; such as the UK, where there are far more patients per GP," he said.

"The repeated history of schemes attempting to substitute general practice is that they look cheaper on first glance but end up being false economies."

Morgan also expressed concerns over pharmacists' motivation in treating patients, suggesting community pharmacists could be conflicted by their position within a retail environment.

"In the study the most common presentation was respiratory and 84% of patients were supplied at least one non-prescription medicine, mostly cough mixture or cold remedies," he said.

"Pharmacy shelves are stocked with substances that are very low value.

"Supplements, homeopathy, children's cough mixtures are generally unnecessary -- but they are sold to unsuspecting customers."

Morgan reiterated the RACGP's opposition to enabling pharmacists to provide what he described as "ad hoc medical services such as health screening and prescribing".