STAGE 1 Medication Management Reviews

Preparation for Stage 2 Accrediation by the Australian Association of Consultative Pharmacists (AACP)

Enrolled students - please contact office for list of resources

To be eligible for accreditation for the provision of a comprehensive medication review service to aged care facilities and DMMRs, pharmacists must complete two stages.  Stage 1 is a pre-qualification stage and Stage 2 requires the completion of an online assessment program consisting of multiple choice questions and a case assessment.

Training

To meet training requirements, the Australian College of Pharmacy Practice and Management offers by distance learning an Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP) recognised Stage 1 training program in the comprehensive medication review process.  The program fee for College members is $350 and for non-members $500.  The fee includes provision of program materials (in electronic format), marking, evaluation and return of assignments.

This course will attract 12 CPD credits.

Course outline for Stage One medication review

The purpose of this course is to prepare candidates for the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacists (AACP) Stage Two assessment which ultimately leads to accreditation as a consultant pharmacist in Australia.

The course offered is a distance learning course. The course requirement is estimated to be completed within three months of the materials being received.

The cost of the course is $350 per person for members or $500 for non-members.

Objectives

On completion of this course the candidate should be able to demonstrate their ability to:

• establish rapport with patients, carers and health professionals;
• complete a comprehensive patient history;
• undertake a systematic medication review;
• identify actual suspected or potential medication problems;
• provide recommendations in objective writing style;
• assess the strengths and weaknesses of various drug information sources;
• provide relevant information to other health professionals;
• educate patients on effective use of medications and devices;
• identify and address compliance issues; and
• develop a care plan for the patient including appropriate patient specific outcomes and follow up procedure.

 The Course Content is as follows:

1. Overview of the AACP medication review and associated processes.
2. Professional collaborative communication with health professionals.
3. Motivation and communication with patients and carers.
4. Privacy and social issues concerning medication reviews and there outcomes.
5. Medication review process in detail:
   • Structure          
   • collecting patient information;
   • identifying information gaps and providing solutions;
   • what are the drug-related problems and their significance?
   • set out and reporting of recommendations and findings  for doctors; and
   • referencing of materials for Medication Reviews.
6. Clinical elements and background reading for medication review:
   • Disease State Management notes 
   • Medical information sources.
7. Medication Reviews: The Clinical Case studies.
8. Moving towards Stage 2 accreditation:
   • Skill set accumulation and maintenance.

A selection of current clinical case studies will be provided for the candidates to gain further knowledge in this area.  Two case studies will be assessed and returned to the candidate with suggestions about the style and content. Each candidate should be mindful that the case studies need to be answered in the format expected for Stage Two assessment and that this involves a recognized structure as well referencing of facts in the Vancouver style.

The completion of the course requirements will enable the candidate to proceed to Stage Two requirements of the AACP accreditation process.