Improving medicine management

A Monash University PhD candidate in Victoria is helping to support both pharmacy and nursing staff in their efforts to improve the quality of medicine management.

The study aims to improve pharmacy packaging and aged care staff handling of medicine.

Lead researcher, registered pharmacist and PhD candidate at the Monash University Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Julia Gilmartin, has reportedly been interested in improving medicine management and the provision of pharmacy services since graduating from the university in 2009.

“Pharmacists and pharmacy staff exercise a great level of care when they prepare these aids to be used in aged care facilities for medicine administration, so it is important to see what problems may occur and help improve this medicine preparation system,” Ms Gilmartin says.

She believes pharmacy and nursing staff take on a “great responsibility” in medicine preparation and administration.

After recently winning Best Student Oral Presentation at the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association conference in Adelaide for her talk on her PhD research project, Ms Gilmartin’s findings may see an improvement in dose administration in Victoria, as well as other Australian states.

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