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]
An expert weighs in on the legitimacy of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses and where pharmacists fit into the equation.
Diagnosis of ADHD in adults has skyrocketed in recent years. According to a recent briefing conducted by the federal Department of Health and Aged Care, published under freedom of information laws, ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions for ADHD medicines have more than doubled over a 5-year period.
In 2022, 3.2 million prescriptions for ADHD medication were issued to 414,000 patients – a sizable jump from the 1.4 million prescriptions issued to 186,000 Australians in 2018.
Could new diagnostic criteria and guidelines, including the Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), be helping undiagnosed adults finally receive the care they need?
Or is the condition being overdiagnosed and overmedicated – as some Australian psychiatrists fear – spurred on by social media trends and the COVID-19 pandemic?
And why are women so commonly diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, when the condition is thought to be more prevalent among males?
Advanced Practice Pharmacist and PSA SA/NT Branch President Dr Manya Angley FPS, an expert in neurodivergence, answers these burning questions in the first of a series of Australian Pharmacist videos – where we speak to thought leaders about a range of hot topics relevant to pharmacy practice.
Dr Angley will be speaking at CPC24 on Neurodiversity/ ADHD in adults on Saturday, 4 May 2024 9:45–10:15 am. Register here to attend.
