The first guide, Building a Thriving Team, offers insights into creating a shared vision, fostering trust, promoting inclusivity, and recognising achievements. The guide is aimed at leaders and managers to help them build engaged, collaborative, and engaged team members for long-term success.

The second guide, Inclusive Hiring in Australia, aims to equip leaders with strategies for hiring, supporting, and developing talent with disabilities. Highlighting the significant benefits of inclusive workplaces, from increased creative, morale, and corporate reputation.
Drawing on global examples and Australian disability employment statistics, this guide challenges leaders to embrace inclusivity as a powerful driver of innovation.
“Leadership isn’t just about achieving goals; it’s about empowering people to reach their full potential,” said Matthew Levy. “With Build a Thriving Team, I hope to provide leaders with practical tools to inspire trust and collaboration, while recognising the unique strengths of their teams.”
On inclusive hiring, Levy added, “Hiring people with disabilities goes far beyond compliance – it’s about tapping into a wealth of talent and perspective that can transform workplaces. With Inclusive Hiring in Australia, I want to show leaders how inclusion can spark creativity and create stronger, more resilient organisations.”

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Available now in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research (JPPR) this new Pharmacy Standard claims to protect patients from harms arising from transitions of care – one of three key priority areas identified by the World Health Organization’s third Global Patient Safety Challenge:Medication Without Harm.

Lead author Katie Phillips FANZCAP (ToC, PrimCare) – Chair of Standard of Practice Working Group and Chair of the AdPha Transitions of Care and Primary Care Leadership Committee – says the Standards come at an important time as pressures on our health system increase with an ageing population.
‘People who have a safe and informed transition of care have better outcomes, are less likely to be readmitted to hospital, and have more time to do what is important to them.
‘Improving medication safety during transitions of care is everyone’s responsibility, and requires commitment and collaboration across all levels of the acute and primary care sectors.
‘Pharmacy services specialising in transitions of care are perfectly placed to lead the way, and transitions of care stewardship is now more than just a pipedream. These Standards have been decades in the making and a testament to all those who have pioneered in this space.
‘They will enable best practice for the provision of pharmacy services specialising in
transitions of care while complementing other significant publications, such as the forthcoming ACSQHC Medication Management at Transitions of Care Stewardship Framework.’

AdPha President Tom Simpson says the Standard highlights the critical contributions of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and assistants to ensure Australians receive optimal care while moving between healthcare providers.
‘Research shows medication-related adverse events occur in approximately 20% of patients following discharge, two-thirds of which are considered preventable.
‘We also know through studies that pharmacist-led interventions lead to substantial reductions in these hospital visits, emergency department visits and hospital readmissions compared to usual care.
‘Pharmacy teams are integral to supporting transitions of care episodes, which often involve
complex care arrangements. They facilitate continuity of care, optimise medication management and minimise the risk of medication misadventure.
‘These Standards will support the important work these advanced pharmacists do and help reduce avoidable medication-related errors, adverse events and hospitalisations.
‘I’d like to congratulate Katie and the team and supporting organisations including the Australian Association of Gerontology, Australian Patients Association and Australian Self-Care Alliance for bringing these important Standards together.’
The Standard of practice for pharmacy services specialising in transitions of care is now available through the October issue of the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research (JPPR), Australia’s leading scientific pharmacy journal, free to AdPha members.

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The study, published in The Journal of Rheumatology examined dyadic coping – when a couple engages in joint problem solving, joint information gathering, or the sharing of feelings and mutual commitment – from both partners’ perspectives using a sample of 163 couples.

“Dyadic coping, the process of coping that transpires between couples challenged by one partner’s illness, is an important predictor of disease adjustment and patient well-being,” says lead author Dr Manasi Murthy Mittinty from the College of Medicine and Public Health.

“Dyadic coping contributes to a sense of togetherness, encouraging couples to develop strategies as a unit to respond to stressful events, and it represents a protective factor for minimising the risk of divorce.

“Working together as a couple is crucial for managing the challenges they face when one partner has an illness, particularly in rheumatoid arthritis.”

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that can cause irreversible tissue damage, progressive deformity and pain. Approximately 18 million people worldwide are living with RA, including nearly 456,000 Australians.

Although management of RA has improved dramatically due to biologics, some patients are still confronted by severe physical pain and stiffness and about 35 per cent of people report experiencing mental and behavioural conditions, such as bipolar disorder, mania and anxiety disorder.

“We found that supportive dyadic coping leads to lower depression, anxiety, and stress for patients, as well as improved relationship quality. In contrast, negative dyadic coping increases psychological distress and reduces relationship quality for both partners,” says Dr Mittinty.

“By examining the interpersonal dynamics of couples grappling with chronic disease, we hope to significantly improve the quality of life for patients living with rheumatoid arthritis and their spouse.”

The study is the first in Australia to report dyadic coping from the perspective of both participants with RA and their spouses.

RA patients and their spouses were invited to participate in an online survey study if they were more than 18 years old and had lived together for more than a year. The survey included the Chronic Pain Grade Scale, Dyadic Coping Inventory, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

“The results underscore the interconnected nature of dyadic coping, highlighting the need to consider both viewpoints in understanding its impact on couples.

“For decades, the focus has been limited to reducing patients’ illness-related distress and improving patient outcomes. More recently, scientists have adopted a new approach into understanding how illness in a spouse can affect the couple’s relationship and the other spouse’s well-being.

“Our findings demonstrate the reciprocal nature of dyadic coping that transpires between patients with RA and their spouses and showcases that integrating dyadic coping training in disease management may be a valuable resource for enhanced mental health outcomes and relationship quality of couples,” she adds.

The article, ‘Interpersonal Process of Dyadic Coping in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Perspective From the Australian Rheumatology Association Database’, by Manasi M. Mittinty, Murthy N. Mittinty, Rachelle Buchbinder, Marissa Lassere, Vibhasha Chand, Samuel Whittle, Lyn March and Catherine Hill was published in The Journal of Rheumatology. DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.2023-0664

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A new paper published in Medical Journal of Australia found that although the incidence of type 2 diabetes continued to decline among Australian adults during 2010-2019 across all age, sex, socio-economic disadvantage and remoteness groups, incidence increased among people from particular ethnic backgrounds.

Head of Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute Diabetes and Population Health Lab, and first author of the paper, Professor Dianna Magliano, said that given these significant variances among cohorts, type 2 diabetes prevention strategies should have a strong focus on the differences in diabetes risk among populations.

“It’s a positive step that we are reducing the overall incidence of type 2 diabetes in Australia,” she said. “But in 2023, more than 30% of the Australian population was born overseas. We therefore need multifaceted approaches for preventing type 2 diabetes that take into account differences in the risk of developing diabetes, particularly among people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”

The decline in overall incidence in Australia is similar to that reported for a number of other high-income countries, Prof Magliano said, and the increase in incidence among Australians born in Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Pacific Islands is also consistent with substantial increases in type 2 diabetes prevalence in the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, and South Asia themselves.

“Several factors could explain this decline in Australia,” she said. “Firstly, some of the diabetes prevention strategies that we have implemented in Australia may have led to behavioural and environmental changes sufficient to influence the incidence of diagnosed diabetes. One good example of this is that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Australia is reported to have declined.

“And secondly, the shift from oral glucose tolerance testing to HbA1c assessment for diabetes screening may be a contributing factor to this decline in overall incidence.”

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The Hon Ged Kearney MP said the findings of the Index highlight critical health challenges, “Accessible and actionable health data is key to driving positive change. The health issues highlighted in this report are multi-faceted, affecting millions of Australians.”

Wesfarmers Health Managing Director Emily Amos said the Index is more than just a health snapshot.

“Our Health system is at an inflection point with demand for health services growing at a faster rate than our ability to supply services, because of our ageing population and people who are living with more chronic disease. Wesfarmers Health sees an opportunity to support public health by providing free access to screening on SiSU Health Stations located throughout Australia. By producing this Index – the most comprehensive real-time data source on cardiometabolic health in Australia – we are also raising awareness and hope to support an effective public health response,” said Ms Amos.

The Index uses de-identified data from 3 million digital health checks on SiSU Health stations located throughout Australia to tracks changes in multiple cardiometabolic risk factor rates against a 2018, pre-COVID baseline of 100. Australia’s 2024 Index score is 92, with positive health outcomes still below the pre-COVD 2018 baseline. Reported annually, the Index will continue to track Australia’s health debt recovery back to pre-COVID level – as well as provide a score for each federal electorate against the national average.

Director Cardiology, Mater Hospital Brisbane Associate Professor Karam Kostner who attended the launch said the Index provides a sobering view of the current state and trajectory of cardiometabolic risk across the general Australian population.

“It confirms the urgent need for policy makers at State and Federal levels to commit to more scalable, holistic and effective cardiometabolic screening and prevention programs together to build a healthier tomorrow,” says Dr Kostner.

Directly aligned with Wesfarmers Health’s mission to make health, beauty and wellness experiences simpler, more affordable and easier to access, the data comes from SiSU Health Station checks, widely available at Priceline and Priceline Pharmacy stores across the country. The health checks are free, self-service and take as little as five minutes to complete. Wesfarmers Health: Australia’s Health Index can be found here: sisuhealthgroup.com/wesfarmers-health-index 

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Led by experts at the University of Adelaide, UNSW Sydney and Monash University, the evidence-based Australian Guidelines have been published in the Medical Journal of Australia alongside the launch of consumer resources including a new Monash Ask Fertility App.

The Guideline has been developed in engagement with consumers, including Indigenous and women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

CRE WHiRL is led by Monash University’s Professor Helena Teede, who joined University of Adelaide Professor Robert Norman and UNSW Sydney’s Dr Michael Costello as the experts leading the Guideline.

Professor Teede said the Guideline was developed using the most robust processes, involved all stakeholders including those with lived experience of infertility, and was approved by the NHMRC, so the community could be reassured it was trustworthy.

“Unexplained infertility greatly impacts quality of life, and it is important to ensure those affected receive the best advice and care for optimal outcomes, whilst avoiding rapidly rising use of often unproven treatments, increasing costs and inequity seen in Australia for those with unexplained infertility,” Professor Teede said.

“This new guideline will help to streamline and simplify treatments, potentially reducing cost and increasing equity, by avoiding complex testing and treatments that were not necessarily evidence-based. The Guideline’s evidence-based advice will play an important role in improving health outcomes for those with unexplained infertility and is adapted for the Australian health system and context,” Professor Norman added.

Dr Costello said that a lack of evidence-based guidelines and limited independent consumer information and empowerment strategies have compounded this. “The ESHRE and Australian Guideline uses the best available scientific evidence to guide health professionals in diagnosing and treating those with unexplained infertility,” he said.

The Guideline outlines the definition of unexplained infertility, diagnostic tests, treatments and differences between explained and unexplained infertility.

It is aimed at but not limited to general practitioners, gynaecologists, andrologists, infertility specialists, reproductive surgeons and those with unexplained infertility.

“The Guideline aims to assist healthcare professionals and couples in appropriate and effective management of the condition, acknowledging that each medical decision must consider individual characteristics, preferences, socioeconomic status, beliefs and values,” Dr Costello said.

“It should also be acknowledged that couples with unexplained infertility may experience considerable impact on their quality of life and they can be offered support and therapeutic counselling.”

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The Lancet Psychiatry: Severity of depression, anxiety and fatigue may increase in some individuals up to three years post-hospitalisation with COVID-19 compared to six months after, study suggests

The severity of depression, anxiety, and fatigue in some people is significantly higher two to three years after hospitalisation with COVID-19 compared to six and/or 12 months after, with evidence of both worsening of existing symptoms and emergence of new symptoms, suggests a study of 475 participants from the PHOSP-COVID cohort. At two to three years post-hospitalisation, most participants reported at least mild symptoms of one or more of depression, anxiety, fatigue and cognitive decline (such as memory loss or trouble with language), with more than one in five reporting severe symptoms. Emergence of new symptoms were mostly seen among people who experienced some other symptoms at 6 months. The authors believe this might indicate a window of opportunity for early intervention on core symptoms to prevent the emergence of a more complex syndrome.

More than one in four participants reported having changed their occupation compared to before they had COVID-19, and the main reason given was poor health. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, also found an association between occupation change and an increase in cognitive deficits, but not depression or anxiety. Authors say this suggests many people who changed occupation in the months and years after hospitalisation with COVID-19 did so because they could no longer meet the cognitive demands of their job rather than for lack of motivation, interest, or confidence.

Authors highlight several limitations in this study, including a low response rate (19.2% of the PHOSP cohort responded to this survey) meaning a risk of selection bias where those who replied may be more likely to have symptoms than those who did not respond. Additionally, as those in the PHOSP cohort were hospitalised with COVID-19, the study findings might not generalise to patients who were not hospitalised.

The Lancet: More research is needed to better understand, treat, and prevent long COVID, says Review  

A new, interdisciplinary Review of long COVID (also known as post-COVID-19 condition) explores the different facets of this emerging condition –  from its epidemiology and clinical manifestations to lived experiences and current best practices for managing long COVID and priorities for future research. The authors acknowledge that there are many challenges and unknowns for clinicians and patients alike when managing long COVID, as uncertainties about how to define, diagnose, and manage the condition remain. However, the review, published in The Lancet, suggests the recent advances in clinical phenotyping, deep molecular profiling, and biomarker identification could lead to a more informed and personally tailored approach to clinical care, with suggestions for future research focused on clinical trials and studies exploring potential treatments, next-generation COVID vaccines, developing predictive biomarkers for people who are more likely to develop long COVID, and optimizing rehabilitation protocols and health services to provide better support for people diagnosed with long COVID.

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Pharmacy Practice and Research (JPPR), Australia’s leading scientific pharmacy journal, through Early View.

Lead author Josephine To, Chair of SHPA’s Palliative Care Leadership Committee, says there is an increasing demand for palliative care services in Australia.

‘Demand for palliative care services will only grow due to the disease burden and multimorbidity associated with an ageing Australian population. This care may occur under specialist palliative care, but a palliative approach to care can occur under any specialty. And the quality of services provided to a dying patient is often dependent on effective collaboration between healthcare providers, including pharmacists.

‘Pharmacists perform many roles within and outside of the palliative care service that contribute to the health goals of the dying patient.

‘‘Several studies have shown, for example, that pharmacist involvement in a patient’s journey decreases the pain intensity experienced by patients.

‘When part of a multidisciplinary team, pharmacists have an even greater impact. One study has shown that doctors accepted approximately 90 per cent of pharmacists’ recommendations such as a dose or medication change or medication initiation or cessation.

‘Effective interdisciplinary medication management involving pharmacists can relieve suffering, mitigate risks or prevent harms, and bring comfort to patients who are dying and their carers.’

SHPA President Tom Simpson says it is timely to announce the availability of this important standard during National Palliative Care Week, to show how pharmacists, alongside many health professionals, are at the heart of quality palliative and end of life care.

‘I would like to acknowledge Josephine To and everyone working as part of SHPA’s Palliative Care Standard of Practice Working Group for their commitment in making this critical update available to ensure more Australians can receive quality end of life care.

‘Josephine and her team’s passion to optimise quality of care and quality of life speaks to the dedication of palliative care pharmacists.

‘I would also like to extend thanks to the many organisations who supported the review process including Palliative Care Australia, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Consumers Health Forum of Australia, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

‘Access to quality palliative care is a basic human right and it is only through such standards that we can make this access possible for patients diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.

‘Palliative care can be equally beneficial for patients first diagnosed with a life-limiting condition and for patients with active, progressive, advanced disease, not just cancer with little to no prospect of cure.’

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And the faster the speed above 4 km/hour, the lower the risk seems to be, with every 1 km increase in speed associated with a 9% reduction in risk, the findings suggest.

While regularly nipping out for a stroll is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it’s not clear what the optimal speed might be to ward off the disease, say the researchers.

The global number of adults with type 2 diabetes is currently 537 million, but is expected to reach 783 million by 2045, so a simple and inexpensive physical activity that is also associated with several other social, mental, and physical health benefits, might be an easy way of helping to stave off the disease, they add.

They looked for relevant long term studies published up to May 2023 and found 10 that were eligible for inclusion. These had all been published between 1999 and 2022 and included monitoring periods ranging from 3 to 11 years for a total of 508,121 adults from the USA, Japan, and the UK.

Pooled data analysis of the results showed that compared with strolling at less than 2 miles or 3 km/hour, an average or normal walking speed of 2-3 miles or 3-5 km/hour was associated with a 15 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, irrespective of the time spent walking.

Similarly, fairly brisk walking at a speed of 3–4 miles/hour or 5–6 km/hour was associated with a 24 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with strolling.

Brisk walking or striding at a speed above 4 miles or 6 km/hour was associated with a reduced risk of around 39 per cent, equal to 2.24 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes in every 100 people.

Every 1 km/hour increase in walking speed was associated with a 9 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, with the minimal threshold of 4km/hour equal to 87 steps/min for men and 100 steps/ min for women, the findings suggest.

The researchers acknowledge that 3 studies were rated as having a moderate risk of bias while the other seven were rated as having a serious risk, principally due to inadequate adjustment for potentially influential factors and the way in which walking speed had been assessed.

Another factor to consider is reverse causality whereby participants with faster walking speed might be more likely to be physically active and have better cardiorespiratory fitness, greater muscle mass, and better overall health status.

So the findings need to be interpreted in light of these limitations, caution the researchers. But there are plausible explanations for the findings, they explain.

Walking speed is an important indicator of overall health and a key indicator of functional capacity; faster walking speed is associated with better cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, both of which are linked to diabetes risk; and brisk walking is good for weight loss, which helps to improve insulin sensitivity.

They conclude: “The present meta-analysis of cohort studies suggests that fairly brisk and brisk/striding walking, independent of the total volume of physical activity or time spent walking per day, may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in adults.

“While current strategies to increase total walking time are beneficial, it may also be reasonable to encourage people to walk at faster speeds to further increase the health benefits of walking.”

From the BMJ

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The sixth edition of PSA’s flagship Medicine Safety series, Medicine Safety: Mental Health Care report highlights opportunities for pharmacists to better support Australians using medicines to treat mental health conditions, including improving access to care and investing in quality use of medicines services at critical points of care.

Key report stats:

• People with severe mental health conditions have poorer physical health than the general community and have a 12–16 year shorter life expectancy.
• 18% of Australians use medicines to treat a mental health condition.
• Antidepressants were involved in 31% of medicine-related deaths due to overdose, and antipsychotics in 17% of medicine-related deaths due to overdose.
• 1 in 4 Australians are taking a medicine that would not be recommended for them based on the individual genetic variation of their drug metabolising enzymes.
• Medicine changes are frequent in mental health facilities, with an average of 10 changes per admission.
• Over 40% of mental health facilities do not have any pharmaceutical handover at discharge.

PSA’s recommendations from the Medicine Safety: Mental Health Care report support better medicine management and wrap-around mental health care to improve quality of life for Australians living with a mental health condition.

 PSA National President Dr Fei Sim FPS says,

“The evidence presented in this report shows that, as a nation, we need to do better.

“Wherever medicines are used there is a risk of medicine misadventure, which is exactly what this report has found.

“We know that the prevalence of mental ill health is on the rise, and more people are using medicines to manage a mental health condition.

“Too often we hear of people stopping treatment altogether because of the effects of these medicines, because they make them unwell. This is where we believe there is significant opportunity for investment in pharmacist services to help support the safe and effective use of medicines.

“People using medicines in their mental health care need better access to the expertise of pharmacists at all stages of management – in hospitals, in community pharmacies, in private clinics and across the whole spectrum of care.

“Our recommendations focus on addressing specific gaps in the provision of comprehensive health care and challenge the ‘set-and-forget’ paradigm that people using mental health medicines too often experience.

“From implementing a mental health screening program in community pharmacies, to formalising transition of care pharmacist services to reduce the risk of medicine-related harm when transferring from hospital to home, pharmacists can and should be part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary and person-centred approach to mental health care.

“This is about ensuring patients have the support they need to get the most out of their medicines safely and effectively.

​”I thank Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health Emma McBride MP for her support in releasing the report,”

Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, Emma McBride MP says,

​“The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) should be commended on the launch of their most recent medicine safety report, Medicine Safety: Mental Health Care.

​“This is a timely report on the importance of medication safety in mental health given the prevalence of common mental health disorders and the medications often prescribed as part of treatment and care.

​ “The report also highlights the vital role pharmacists play – across settings – to improve safety and importantly reduce harm.

​“As a pharmacist who worked in acute adult inpatient services I know this report will be influential as we work together to improve patient care.”

The Medicine Safety: Mental Health Care report and PSA’s recommendations are available at https://www.psa.org.au/advocacy/working-for-our-profession/medicine-safety/mental_health/

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