This article was originally published in the March 2022 edition of the ADA’s News Bulletin
The PharmaAdvice service is available to all ADA members.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the ADA’s PharmaAdvice service. Gosh, time flies! PharmaAdvice is Australia’s only medicines information and advisory service operating for a specific health profession. The service was established by the national office of the ADA in February 2013 as a member-only service and, since then, has handled almost 6,000 enquiries from ADA members Australia-wide.
Despite the service’s apparent popularity, it appears many members still don’t know PharmaAdvice exists, and others aren’t quite sure what the service offers. Given that new graduates may still be finding their feet with their prescribing responsibilities and understanding all the medicines patients are already using, I thought it might be helpful if I profiled the ADA PharmaAdvice service this month and provide a snapshot of what’s been going on.
Who handles the PharmaAdvice service?
I am the sole provider of the PharmaAdvice service and have been since it began. This means that, when you call or email, it’ll be me who takes your enquiry and provides a response. I say this so you can be confident in whom you are trusting with your confidential concerns – you won’t be talking to an admin person or another adviser.
My background is in hospital and community pharmacy, but I have specialised in clinical pharmacy and medicines information for more than 30 years. I started working with the dental profession about 25 years ago, providing lectures for ADAQ back in 1997, and have since worked with the ADA national office and all the state Branches. I have also worked with the many allied dental organisations such as those representing oral therapists, hygienists and dental prosthetists, as well as the New Zealand Dental Association. As a result, I have a good idea of what goes on in dentistry and the wide range of medication-related issues involved. I have also published several papers on dental topics in collaboration with my academic colleagues in peer-reviewed dental journals.
In addition to PharmaAdvice, I also work two days a week in a public hospital, I teach at the University of Queensland and QUT, and consult to other organisations such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and NPS MedicineWise, so my work and industry knowledge is current – I keep my phone and iPad handy so I can answer your queries concurrently with these obligations.
Hours of service
The PharmaAdvice service is available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm AEST, and not on national public holidays. Enquiries can submitted in various ways:
