Rub shoulders with Kerri Barwick MPS (centre) and other members of team PSA at CPC24[/caption]
This activity is sponsored by Reckitt. All content is the true, accurate and independent opinion of the author and the views expressed are entirely their own.[/caption]
The use of insulin, considered a high-risk medication with APINCHs classification,5 Ms Barwick notes, provides justification for a Home Medicines Review (HMR). ‘There’s an advantage to going into the home to observe the patient’s diet, consider potential interactions, and educate patients on the best effects and outcomes,’ she says.
Advice around cleaning blood glucose level (BGL) monitors to ensure accuracy can also be provided. ‘Pharmacists can explain how to put test drops through and clean blood spills on the monitor, common in pregnancy due to higher blood volume,’ says Ms Barwick.
With only 50% of women diagnosed with GDM receiving tests for heart disease and type 2 diabetes post-pregnancy,6 HMRs can be beneficial at this stage of the journey, too.
‘Along with conversations around diet choices, exercise regimes and sleep, I also explain how often testing is required over the next 5–10 years, and how to monitor for signs of the development of diabetes,’ Ms Barwick advises.
Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
The presence of iron in pregnancy multivitamins may exacerbate symptoms of nausea and vomiting in some pregnancies, according to Ms Barwick.
‘Pharmacists can recommend a trial cessation of the iron component of pregnancy vitamins, often unnecessary in pregnancy,’ she says.
In 2020, photographer Bobbi Lockyer created a Birthing on Country project to highlight and create awareness around birthing issues and outcomes in Aboriginal women. For more, see 
Suzanne Nielsen MPS[/caption]
From compounding to COVID-19, Amanda Fairjones BPharm Hons AACPA, MPS can get answers for all your member queries.
The journey through the Australian healthcare system has been long and hard for this pharmacist patient with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Kurtis Gray, a final year Master of Pharmacy student at the University of Western Australia (UWA), is the 2020 PSA Mylan Pharmacy Student of the Year.
An enterprising intern ditched her planned diabetes consultations to master pandemic communication skills.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) presented new challenges for Australians – among them community pharmacists.
During the initial hysteria, our shelves were stripped bare due to stockpiling of essential...
Todd Marion MPS, in Kiama, New South Wales, has been on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also a specialist in sleep services.
Was pharmacy your goal?
Growing up, I thought I would do sport science. My career...
Andrew Matthews MPS is the Australian Digital Health Agency’s Director of Medicines Safety. In that role, he hopes to ensure pharmacists are fundamental to healthcare’s digital future.
Jocelyn Watson, a PSA life member, was awarded an Order of Australia medal in January for services to Launceston and contributions to her church, horticultural society and her industry.
Hannah Knowles MPS loves being involved in every stage of a patients’ journey, an interest suited to her new role at a leading Brisbane hospital pharmacy.
You couldn’t pay 99-year-old William ‘Bill’ Lumley MPS to be a pharmacist in the ‘new normal’ world today.
Australian Pharmacist of the Year 2017 Irvine Newton OAM FPS was inaugural chairman of PSA’s Harm Minimisation Committee in Victoria.
