A trial for appropriately trained pharmacists to provide community access to important medications and treatments usually only available with a prescription, is running in NSW.
This page answers frequently asked questions from participating pharmacists about the NSW Pharmacy Trial.
It is important that patients can access the trial services during all opening hours.
This is necessary:
No, not all pharmacists within a participating pharmacy are required to provide services as part of the trial. Pharmacists must undertake the required training and consent to becoming a participating pharmacist.
Yes. If you work in a pharmacy that is participating in the clinical trial and you are a fully registered pharmacist, you can email NSWPharmacyTrial@newcastle.edu.au to receive the pharmacist information and consent form.
No, interns are not allowed to participate in the trial and cannot provide trial services. Only pharmacists holding general registration and no conditions, working in an approved pharmacy outlined in the NSW Health Authority, can participate in the trial and deliver trial services.
The length of the onboarding process is dependent on the pharmacy and its pharmacists meeting the requirements of the NSW Health Authority to participate in the trial. The pharmacy consent process may take up to 10 days. The pharmacist consent process may also take up to 10 days. Typically, a pharmacy should be onboarded with 1-2 weeks of the pharmacists completing their consent forms.
Training requirements for pharmacists are outlined in the Authority allowing participating pharmacists to supply medications (UTI) and the Authority allowing pharmacists to supply medications (Oral contraceptive pill).
In addition to completing the Australian College of Pharmacy (ACP) or Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) UTI training module, pharmacists are required to complete the University of Newcastle UTI Study Modules. Details to access these modules will be provided to pharmacists during their onboarding process.
All other administrative material will be sent to you by the research team once you have consented to the trial. If you require any further information, please email NSWPharmacyTrial@newcastle.edu.au.
If a patient does not have a mobile phone, the electronic consent module is accessible from any mobile or iPad device. The pharmacist can assist the patient through the consent process on a pharmacy-owned device.
The time spent in each consultation will depend on the patient need and the issues raised during the consultation. It is important that you follow the MedAdvisor program which will prompt and guide your consultation. On average, it is estimated that each consultation will take approximately 10 minutes.
Yes, only face to face consultations are permitted under the trial protocols.
The NSW Government is providing remuneration of $20 to participating pharmacies for each consultation conducted, in recognition of their participation in the trial and associated administrative processes. The patient will not pay a consultation fee as this is paid for by the NSW Government remuneration. A patient will however need to pay for any medications or other products supplied during the consultation.
No, pharmacies and pharmacists are not permitted to charge an additional consultation or administration fee in addition to the reimbursement provided by NSW Health.
The cost of medications will be paid for by the patient and is intended to be similar to a private prescription, with the price determined by the pharmacy.
Fees will be paid on a quarterly basis. Data will be validated through the MedAdvisor program, so it is important to undertake all your consultations using MedAdvisor and ensure each consultation is completed and submitted.
It is good practice to encourage your patient to have a regular GP. You may provide patients with a printed consultation record to share with a GP if they need to seek further care.
The MedAdvisor Essentials program is a prerequisite for participation in the trial. Most of the research data for the consultation will be retrieved from this system. If you do not have MedAdvisor and wish to participate in the trial, you will need to purchase it. Details regarding pricing and procurement can be found at MedAdvisor subscription pricing.
During and after the trial there will be a formal evaluation of trial data independently undertaken by The George Institute of Global Health to ensure the service provided by pharmacies is safe and effective, with the assistance of the research team. This evaluation will inform advice to the NSW Government.
The clinical management protocol requires that a urine sample jar be provided at every consultation that involves pharmacist initiation of an antibiotic treatment for a suspected UTI.
The patient should be instructed to take a mid-stream urine sample prior to commencing their antibiotics and store this in their refrigerator for 24-48 hours. In the event their symptoms do not resolve, and they need to see a GP, the patient should be encouraged to take this sample with them.
In the main study, 15 urine specimen jars and 15 clinical specimen bags have been provided to all participating pharmacies. This will be capped at 15 and pharmacies will need to reorder their own supplies once the initial allocation is exhausted. Given this is an important safety intervention it is expected the urine specimen jar and clinical specimen bag will be provided.
No, NSW Health promotional material are ethics approved, government documents developed for the purposes of the trial and must not be edited. Feedback on the need for localised modifications is welcomed and will be considered by the research team in consultation with NSW Health should materials need to be revised as the trial progresses.
Further information for pharmacies and pharmacists can be found at NSW Pharmacy Trials.
