There are calls for evaluation of a pilot program that bypasses GP treatment before it is extended. Pharmacists want it now.
A pilot program in Victoria that allows for patients to bypass GP treatment to receive treatment from pharmacists for certain conditions is now looking for renewal this June.
However, there has been some resistance from medical bodies over whether the program has undergone adequate evaluation to justify its continuation.
Pharmacist bodies have stated that the program is beneficial in speeding up many treatment processes, with the state government saying that it provided quick and inexpensive access to basic medicine and healthcare.
The program was “not about replacing the job of a GP”, Horsham pharmacist Carlie Streeter told ABC.
There are still concerns from GPs regarding the potential for misdiagnosis of medical conditions that are often mistaken as simple symptoms.
The Victorian branch of the RACGP has expressed its concerns that the program could impede effective multi-disciplinary care.
“We know from examples like the NHS that the greater the fragmentation of care, the more points of care that a patient needs to engage with in order to get the care as a whole, the poorer the outcomes for that person, the more expensive the health system becomes,” Dr Anita Munoz, RACGP Victoria chair, told TMR.
“We should be seeing an evaluation of the trial and for that to be made public.
“It is absolutely of paramount importance for general practice and pharmacy to work together and collaborate.”
The bypass system that the program relies upon has been criticised for how it could potentially turn patients off receiving necessary further treatment.
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“The woman who goes to the pharmacy for painful urination getting an antibiotic at a pharmacy may not necessarily be getting the cervical screen that she’s very overdue for, or the vaginal examination that reveals that the burning urination is actually due to herpes,” Dr Munoz said.
“So, these are the concerns that we have, and I guess we won’t know whether those concerns are founded until evaluations are made public.
“The Victorian trial involved a lot of stakeholders giving advice on mechanisms to increase the safety in terms of very clear protocols for pharmacists to follow, and that includes stakeholders from general practice as well as other medical specialties,” said Dr Munoz.
“We would welcome greater focus on really properly hunting and creating multi-disciplinary team cares in general plans, rather than the main concern from these trials which really is ease and convenience of access.”
