MARRABOOR Pharmacy is urging its older and eligible customers to get themselves a MedsCheck.
A MedsCheck is a service conducted by community pharmacies that allow patients to review their medications to help them gather a stronger understanding of their medicines and address any issues they might have.
“We’re going to offer MedsCheck to our customers,” Marraboor Pharmacy owner Jarred Kiel said.
“It involves sitting down one-on-one with our customers to go through their medications with them, making sure they’re happy and know what everything is for.”
“We make an appointment – usually it takes 20 minutes – they’ll bring in their medications, we can then go through them and address any concerns or questions they have whilst they’re here.
“Customers will leave with an individualised, up-to-date medication list detailing information on each medication they are taking.”
Patients who are eligible for MedsCheck must have a current Medicare card or Department of Veterans Affair (DVA) card, take five or more prescription medicines or have recently experienced a significant medical event.
Also, patients are only permitted one every 12 months, but will receive two follow-ups from their pharmacist.
A sub-category of the MedsCheck program is the Diabetes MedsCheck which specifically focuses on patients who are suffering from Type 2 diabetes.
“Diabetes MedCheck is more focused on diabetes management and knowing their numbers in terms of blood glucose levels,” Mr Kiel said.
The eligibility for the Diabetes MedsCheck is the same as a standard MedsCheck.
A study from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia found that over 90 per cent of patients who had a MedsCheck had at least one medication-related problem post-hospital discharge.
Mr Kiel highlights how important it is for people to take this seriously.
“A lot of people can end up as unnecessary hospitalisations or injure themselves taking the wrong medications,” he warned.
“There are a lot of people out there who have questions about their medications.”
“We believe a one-on-one with a pharmacist at Marraboor Pharmacy is a great way to prevent medication errors.”
More information can be found online on the Pharmacy Programs Administrator website. https://www.ppaonline.com.au/
