The term Quality use of medicines is used by the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

as part of their policies on effective and correct uses of

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and access to appropriate medicines.

Guiding Principles

Quality Use of Medicines (abbreviated to QUM) is one of the four policy pillars in the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

’s National Medicines Policy first developed in 2000, and involves the safe and judicious use of

medicines Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

by the general public. In the documentation of the National Medicines Policy, the four tenets of Quality Use of Medicines involve medicines being used: *Judiciously, using medicines only after considering all other options *Appropriately, choosing a medicine after appraisal of factors including risk-benefit analysis, treatment length and cost *Safely, minimising misuse and abuse *Efficaciously, having a quantifiable benefit to the patient’s health and/or quality of life Quality Use of Medicines is primarily a patient-oriented movement, with the documentation stressing the importance of patient-professional communication along with patient knowledge and understanding their medicines. The term has begun to enter consumer-oriented Australian media in both journalistic and corporate contexts, while the concepts are becoming increasingly central to general pharmaceutical practice.

Implementation

In the 1997-1998 Australian federal budget, the Government allocated funds towards creation of the

National Prescribing Service NPS MedicineWise, previously the National Prescribing Service (NPS), was an Australian not-for-profit prescribing and pharmaceutical information service. The NPS was founded in March 1998 and funded by the federal Department of Health and Aged ...

(NPS MedicineWise), a body tasked with undertaking and promoting Quality Use of Medicines work. The organisation’s services such as the ''Medicine Name Finder'' and''Medicines Line'' are the most apparent representations of governmental QUM policy at work. Medicines Line, for example, provides a hotline for patients to call with questions about their medicines, furthering the QUM goal of ensuring medicine safety through improved patient knowledge. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) provides advice and recommendations on whether or not to include medicines on Australia’s

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a program of the Australian Government that subsidises prescription medication for Australian citizens and permanent residents, as well as international visitors covered by a reciprocal health car ...

(PBS). The PBAC takes a number of QUM-related factors into account, including those not traditionally looked at by doctors like cost-effectiveness, course length and alternative therapies. The body has been praised for its improvements to the PBS system, most particularly in the area of cost-effectiveness.Gertskis, Mark (2009). “PBAC lauded for cost-effectiveness”. ''Pharmacy News'', available at http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/pbac-lauded-for-cost-effectiveness/501162.aspx (accessed 6 November 2009).

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Quality_Use_of_Medicines
National Medicines Policy 2000
Health policy Health care quality