In this Product Explainer, Prof Deborah Bateson, Medical Director of Family Planning NSW and Professor at the Daffodil Centre, Faculty of Medicine & Health at the University of Sydney explains the role of the Drospirenone 4mg Progestogen-only oral contraceptive pill, how it is administered and when it should be used.
While evidence for effectiveness in managing mental health disorders is growing, it is resource-intensive and must involve trained psychotherapists in a specialised setup and follow up
Prominent GP and former member of parliament Kerryn Phelps has entered the turf war between doctors and pharmacists over who gets to prescribe.
Pharmacy groups have long called for changes to allow pharmacists to prescribe specified medications, such as the oral contraceptive pill and antibiotics for urinary tract infections.
But Phelps argues allowing pharmacists to prescribe will lead to perverse incentives – where pharmacists prescribe inappropriately – because they have a financial interest in the sale of medicines.
Phelps has a point. Studies in countries where doctors have dispensing roles have found evidence of financial profits influencing prescribing behaviour.
A Swiss study, for instance, found physician dispensing leads to a 34% increase in drug costs per patient, as doctors overprescribe and prescribe more expensive medications.
This resource is a little different to the usual guideline or website that is commonly discussed in this newsletter.
This is a product that was recommended by a number of patients and has the potential to really improve the quality of someone’s life.
Quite simply it’s a waterproof protector that goes over a patient’s plaster or dressing.
Called Blocc’s protectors, these covers are made of a type of rubber that stretches over the cast or dressing to make a waterproof seal. And apparently they are excellent at keeping the dressing or plaster dry.
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