Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Activity
National Medicines Policy Partnerships; Delivering Better Health Outcomes & Value for Money, Oct 2002
The Pharmaceutical Alliance hosted a workshop which explored how to progress partnership approaches to the implementation of the quality use of medicines and seek agreement on new ways to contribute to the use of medicines that would maximise health outcomes and better manage expenditure. The workshop also aimed to identify a way to progress a partnership approach that engaged industry and National Medicines Policy stakeholders.
Participants were asked to identify 'priority' topics from the plenary and workshop discussions they believed could be taken forward:
- the certainty of data could be improved
- greater transparency in the listing process could be supplied
- risk management/risk sharing arrangements with stakeholders could be established, and
- mechanisms to list medicines with limited access could be developed
An outcome of the workshop was a summary discussion paper, 'Measuring Health Outcomes within the context of the National Medicines Policy' which hoped to assist in measuring medicine use and determine net health benefits associated with medicines use.
National Medicines Policy Partnerships: Is the Quality of Medicines Compatible with Economic Objectives? Oct, 2003
Priority areas from this second workshop were the need for improved and more complete data, that QUM information and education could be rolled out across all stakeholder groups, a better understanding of stakeholders' needs and responsibilities was needed, greater clarity around risk-sharing approaches, and the development of a culture of prevention and strategy for under use.
Later that year at the Health Outcomes conference (Canberra), The Pharmaceutical Alliance hosted a discussion group around the same theme as the earlier workshop.
It subsequently commissioned research with a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in QUM including consumers, health professionals, manufacturers, government and media. The objective was to clarify the needs, values and responsibilities of those involved in QUM and also the perceived opportunities and barriers.
Needs Analysis Research, 2005
The Pharmaceutical Alliance commissioned research with a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in QUM including consumers, health professionals, manufacturers, government and media. This was not in any way meant to evaluate QUM but rather to clarify the understanding and also the application in the real world environment.
A reference group oversaw the project and the final report was published in 2005. The outcomes were exciting and positive - all stakeholders involved in the research acknowledged the importance and value of QUM and felt that important achievements have been made in the healthcare sector. Seven major barriers hindering the more widespread implementation of QUM were identified - fragmentation (on several levels) was seen as the biggest one, however to balance that, stakeholders also made positive suggestions to bring about action to improve adoption and use in day to day practice.
The research was presented at the National Medicines Symposium and The Pharmaceutical Alliance was awarded the 2006 National QUM Award (Health Industry).
The Pharmaceutical Alliance will continue working on projects that demonstrate commitment to QUM; the right medicine for the right person at the right time at the right cost.