Purple Pen Podcast

Back by popular demand, Prof Jason Roberts joins Dan to discuss ceftriaxone. They discuss situations where ceftriaxone is useful (spoiler: it's not "being an inpatient") and some pharmacokinetic quirks.

Jane caught up with A/Prof Ernie Butler, neurologist and head of the Monash MS Clinic at the SHPA Vic Branch symposium. We discuss:

• Why neurology is the most interesting specialty

• Background to MS - the link to the sun and its symptoms and progression

• Management of MS with traditional drugs, and how the monoclonal antibodies fit into practice

• Monitoring for side effects, including screening for JC virus

• Managing these side effects

Jane chats with Dr Jenny Stephens, pain specialist and anaesthetist at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney.

Jane and Jenny discuss:

• The significance of Australia's problem with prescription opioids

• How the risks of post-operative opioids may start before admission

• The problems, beyond dependance, caused by long term opioid use

• Risk factors for opioid dependance post-discharge

• How Australia compares to the rest of the world with regard to problems with prescription opioids

• The impact of a pharmacy-led intervention at St Vincent's Sydney

• Empowering junior doctors to stand up for good opioid prescribing

• Simple interventions pharmacists can make to help

• Empowering patients and managing their expectations around analgesia

Jane and Dan caught up with Chris Braithwaite, a pharmacist with the Galambila Aboriginal Health Service in Northern NSW.

Chris spoke to us about:

• his journey to working with indigenous communities
• what an average day looks like
• the challenges posed by existing funding models for home medicines reviews
• cultural competence and institutional racism

Jane and Dan caught up with Chris Braithwaite, a pharmacist with the Galambila Aboriginal Health Service in Northern NSW.

Chris spoke to us about:

• his journey to working with indigenous communities
• what an average day looks like
• the challenges posed by existing funding models for home medicines reviews
• cultural competence and institutional racism

Dr Kimberley Haines, Vice Chair of ANZICS Victorian Branch and ICU Physio at Western Health joins Dan and Jane to discuss survival following ICU admissions.

Dr Kimberley discusses her journey to research, what happens to patients following ICU discharge and how we can improve the ICU journey for patients, staff and family.

Jane and Dan caught up with Professor Jason Roberts, NHMRC Practitioner Fellow at The University of Queensland and Consultant Clinical Pharmacist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Jason is a senior member of the Burns Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre within the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research and is Director of the Centre for Translational Anti-infective Pharmacodynamics in School of Pharmacy where he is also Chair of the research Strategies Committee.

We could have talked to Jason all day. In part two of our two-part discussion on pharmacokinetic modelling of antimicrobials we talk about:

• different pharmacodynamic models for antimicrobials: concentration, time and AUC dependant
• the clinical evidence for using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modelling
• future directions for clinical pharmacokinetics

Jane and Dan caught up with Professor Jason Roberts, NHMRC Practitioner Fellow at The University of Queensland and Consultant Clinical Pharmacist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Jason is a senior member of the Burns Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre within the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research and is Director of the Centre for Translational Anti-infective Pharmacodynamics in School of Pharmacy where he is also Chair of the research Strategies Committee.

We could have talked to Jason all day. In part one of our two-part discussion on pharmacokinetic modelling of antimicrobials we talk about:

• Jason's pathway to a research career and the projects that his team are currently working on
• The patients and pathogens that benefit from individualised dosing of antimicrobials
• The narrowing therapeutic indices of some antimicrobials
• Some under-recognised adverse effects of beta-lactam antibiotics
• how to apply pharmacokinetics and individualised dosing in everyday practice

Dan caught up with NAPSA President Sandra Minas at the inaugural SHPA-NAPSA symposium in Melbourne on Friday. We discussed issues facing students, the results of the latest NAPSA survey and key programs being rolled out by NAPSA.

We learn that despite concerns about graduate numbers, the rise of discounters and low pay, almost all pharmacy students are dedicated to their profession, and are looking forward to their careers.

Jane and Dan spoke to Horst Thiele from the Primary Care and Transitions of Care specialty practice leadership group.

We asked Horst about the barriers and opportunities for pharmacists to assist patients at transitions of care and the evidence base for these services.