The Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care reported in 2002 that 2-3% of hospital admissions are medication-related, and 400,000 GP consultations a year in Australia are related to adverse medication events.

In 2001-02, 77.2% of Victorians saw a GP, and the average person saw a GP five times. Therefore, due to the frequency of GPs contact with Victorians and the generalist nature of consulations, GPs are well placed to improve the quality use of medicines in the community. Victorian divisions actively support general practitioners to do this through a variety of programs and through generalist practice support actitives. In 2004, specific programs that Victorian divisions are involved in include:

• The Home Medicines Review (HMR) Program (all Victorian divisions)
• The National Prescribing Service (NPS) facilitator program (most Victorian divisions)
• The Enhanced Divisional Quality Use of Medicines (EDQUM) program (3 Victorian divisions)
• The MediConnect trial (1 Victorian division)

Additionally, Victorian divisions have been involved in facilitating electronic prescribing, and in building relationships between GPs and pharmacists to further foster collaborative professional approaches to improve the quality use of medicines.

For further information please contact Lee Stamford, Program Consultant: l.stamford@gpdv.com.au.

HMR FACILITATORS WORKSHOP JUNE 12/13 2007

GPDV Presentation (4.40 MB)
Sample program plan with indicators (25 KB)
Results of SWOT analysis (23 KB)