Resources To Improve The Quality Use Of Medicines
A list of resources to assist the optimisation of quality use of medicines (QUM)
Quality use of medicines
SA Health is committed to improving the quality use of medicines (QUM) in South Australia with the goal of providing access to quality, safe, complete and affordable health care for all South Australians.
QUM involves improving medicine use, including prescription, non-prescription and complementary medicines, by health professionals and decision makers as well as by consumers and the medicines industry. QUM is a focus of the National Medicines Policy, which describes QUM as:
- selecting management options wisely
- choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary; and
- ensuring the patients and carers have the knowledge and skills to use medicines safely and effectively
- the definition of QUM applies equally to decisions about medicine use by individuals and decisions that affect the health of the population.
Online eLearning and other resources for QUM, continuity of care, continuity in medication management and medication safety are available.
SA Health QUM Activities
- optimising QUM along the continuum of care by building improvements in continuity in medication management achieved as a result of pharmaceutical reform in public hospitals.
- improving QUM in the short-term treatment of acute pain.
- improving consumer medicines literacy to empower consumers in medicines management.
Contact
For more information about SA Health QUM initiatives please contact Medicines and Technology Programs Branch on (08) 8204 1944 or by email: Health:MTPP@sa.gov.au.
