Quality Use of Medicines Alliance awarded health education and health literacy grants
Two new grants to support consumer health literacy and improve the use of medicines will see peak health and consumer organisations working side-by-side.
The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance a consortium of eight health and consumer organisations, will align their work across the two grants, awarded under the Australian Government’s Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) Program.
The grants will run over a 2-year period and address priority quality use of medicines issues for atopic dermatitis, gout, antidepressants in older people and oral anticoagulants.
The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance brings together unique expertise from education providers, consumer groups, researchers, health professional colleges, peak bodies and member organisations to develop free educational activities, at scale, for a national audience of health professionals and consumers.
The Health Professional Education Grant led by Medcast Pty Ltd will leverage evidence-based approaches to create a comprehensive suite of interactive learning activities and resources.
A/Prof Stephen Barnett, Director of Medcast, emphasised the project's potential to drive positive health outcomes.
Complementing this effort, the Consumer Health Literacy Grant led by the Health Care Consumers' Association will ensure consumers’ needs and perspectives are reflected.
The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance consists of:
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Medcast: a nationwide provider of independent education for a range of health professions
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Health Care Consumers’ Association: a peak health consumer organisation working to improve the quality and safety of health care
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Arthritis Australia: the leading national arthritis charity supporting people living with all types of arthritis
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Eczema Support Australia: a national support network advocating for people living with eczema
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Pharmaceutical Society of Australia: the national peak professional pharmacy body representing Australia’s 36,000 pharmacists across all sectors and specialisations
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QUM Connect: a specialist consultancy with experience and expertise in creating and implementing quality use of medicines initiatives to improve health outcomes
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Royal Australian College of General Practitioners: Australia’s largest professional general practice organisation responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice
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Wiser Healthcare: a research collaboration involving the University of Sydney, Bond University, Monash University and the University of Wollongong, with a special interest in research in the areas of rational test ordering and quality use of medicines.
The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance will collaborate with a wide range of health and consumer organisations over two years until August 2025.
Kate is a Director at Medcast, leading education projects and partnerships dedicated to improving healthcare through innovative education. She began her career as an Occupational Therapist and has a Masters in Public Health. Kate worked in healthcare advisory services at KPMG, where she delivered evaluation, clinical redesign, and change-management services to government and NGOs.
Quality Use of Medicines Alliance
Best-practice treatment of depression no longer considers pharmacotherapy as the default first-line therapy for many patients. In this FastTrack activity, you will update your knowledge of evidence-based interventions for major depression, including when to consider medications and when to cease them. Complete the quiz to receive 30mins EA and 30mins RP CPD.
Quality Use of Medicines Alliance
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common and significantly impacts mortality, contributing to as many as 1 in 10 deaths in Australia. This FastTrack is the first of two, focusing on the diagnosis and management of AF, from the recommendations on opportunistic screening to identifying comorbidities and precipitating factors. Complete the quiz to earn 30mins EA and 30mins RP CPD.
Kate Clutton
The QUM Alliance welcomes new government grants to improve health literacy and medicine safety. Over three years, programs will tackle stroke prevention, osteoporosis, menopause, mental health and multimorbidity. Led by Medcast, the initiative supports health professionals and consumers, building on previous successes to reach priority populations.