Leave wound care to nurses
Australia’s health union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), claims it is “ludicrous” to expect pharmacists to undertake the education necessary to be competent in wound care while thousands of nurses, who are already expert in this area, are available.
ANMF claims it's ludicrous to expect pharmacists to undertake the education necessary to be competent in wound care while thousands of nurses are already available to carry out this type of care.
ANMF raised its concerns about reported changes to a new pharmacy agreement which could see pharmacists receive $19 billion in federal government funding to provide wound care and other primary care activities.
ANMF federal secretary, Lee Thomas, says: “The ANMF has been trying to negotiate with governments on the need for expanded roles for health practitioners for years. This is because we know that health care for Australians is at its best when our highly qualified and skilled health practitioners are able to work to their full scope of practice in a coordinated and consultative way.
“However, one group of health professionals should not have to undergo additional training and education to take on roles which currently fall within the expertise of another group of health professionals. While we agree that pharmacists are under-utilised, it is ludicrous to expect pharmacists to undertake the education necessary to be competent in wound care while there are thousands of nurses, who are already expert in this area, available.”
According to Ms Thomas, people must remember that wound care does not simply involve putting a 'bandaid' over a cut but can be, for example in the case of a diabetic ulcer, chronic, complex and difficult to treat, requiring significant clinical expertise.
“Nurses come prepared with this expertise; wound care and management is an integrated component of all nursing degrees. And many nurses, most particularly nurse practitioners, undertake post graduate education to become highly specialised wound management experts,” she says.
“It is simply unreasonable to expect pharmacists to have this level of skill and expertise.”
A better solution, according to Ms Thomas, would be to direct a portion of funding towards nurse led clinics, which would work closely and in collaboration with pharmacists to improve care and management of chronic conditions for the community.
“It is an inefficient use of resources to expect pharmacists to take on completely new roles, while we continue to have hundreds of nursing graduates, who are already competent in wound care, unable to find jobs,” she says.
“Pharmacists should have a greater role in the provision of health care in the community but we need to capitalise on their existing skills and knowledge. This is what we need to do for all health professionals and have them working in better, more coordinated and consultative ways.”
The ANMF is now urging the health Minister Sussan Ley to consult with nurses and other health professionals about the changes needed across the health system which will lead to the best care for all Australians.
