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General Practice Network NT (GPNNT) leads and coordinates a Territory-wide Primary Health Care network with the objective of improving health service delivery and health outcomes in the Northern Territory, Australia

Quality Use of Medicines

Quality Use of Medicines Program
The Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Program aims to support general practitioners and other allied health professionals with evidence based information to promote quality use of medicines.

QUM means:

  • selecting management options wisely
  • choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary
  • using medicines safely and effectively.

The goal of the National Strategy for QUM is to make the best possible use of medicines to improve health outcomes for all Australians.

Program Objectives

  • coordination and delivery of core therapeutic programs
  • promotion of local and national therapeutic programs, resources and activities to ensure maximum integration.
  • engaging Pharmacists, Practice Nurses and other community health professionals in locally delivered activities.

Service Provision
Support provided by experienced facilitators with three years or more experience and who have attended workshops on advanced critical appraisal skills as part of National Prescribing Service Ltd (NPS) Facilitator training. NPS provides resources for two major therapeutic programs per year, as well as minor topics in between.

  • education visits at your practice
  • case study group discussions
  • local coordination of clinical audits
  • opportunities to build relationships with GPs and pharmacists, and between health professionals, hospitals and nursing homes.

Education
Refer “Education” above for further education. GPNNT’s educational and quality improvement activities qualify for continuing professional development (CPD) and qualify as an activity for the Quality Prescribing Initiative (QPI) of the Practice Incentives Program (PIP).

Resources
Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is designed to inform consumers about prescription and pharmacist-only medicines. CMI leaflets are produced by the pharmaceutical company that makes the particular medicine and they are available from different sources, such as within the medicine package, supplied by the pharmacist as a leaflet or provided by the doctor.

Australian Commission on Safety and quality in health care
Australian Medicines Handbook
Australian Prescriber and NPS News
Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
National phone service — Medicines Line on 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424)
NPS RADAR
Prescribing Practice Review

Patient leaflets about medicine related issues are available via contact details below for use by doctors during patient consultations

Contact
For further information please contact David Wallace, NPS Facilitator on (08) 8982 1000, 0412 285 564 or david.wallace@gpnnt.org.au