Editorial
Welcome to the December 2009 edition of i2p - Information to Pharmacists E-Magazine.
When i2P first began in February 2000, it was decided that a fortnightly publication might prove to be the optimum publishing cycle.
This thought was soon dispelled as it was found that having sufficient content to maintain this cycle became a problem.
Oh for those quieter times!
The cycle then became monthly and has been maintained up to now.
The problem is now coping with the volume of news and opinion that is generated on a daily basis.
Very much the reverse of the year 2000 - a statement for our time and how the pace of pharmacy life has increased.
Columns
Rollo Manning: Pharma-Goss
Loretta Marron OAM BSc: Health Watch
Harvey Mackay: Strategic ThinkingRecent Comments
Volume 1 Number 1
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Volume 1 Number 4
Volume 1 Number 5
Volume 1 Number 6
Volume 1 Number 7
Volume 2 Number 1
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Volume 2 Number 3
Volume 2 Number 4
Volume 2 Number 5
Volume 2 Number 6
Volume 2 Number 7
Volume 2 Number 8
Volume 2 Number 9
Volume 2 Number 10
Volume 2 Number 11
Volume 3 Number 1
Volume 3 Number 2
Volume 3 Number 3
Volume 3 Number 4
Volume 3 Number 5
Volume 3 Number 6
Volume 3 Number 7
Volume 3 Number 8
Volume 3 Number 9
Volume 3 Number 10
Volume 3 Number 11
Volume 4 Number 1
Volume 4 Number 2
Volume 4 Number 3
Volume 4 Number 4
Volume 4 Number 5
Volume 4 Number 6
Volume 4 Number 7
Volume 4 Number 8
Volume 4 Number 9
Volume 4 Number 10
Volume 4 Number 11
Volume 5 Number 1
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Volume 5 Number 4
Volume 5 Number 5
Volume 5 Number 6
Volume 5 Number 7
Volume 5 Number 8
Volume 5 Number 9
Volume 5 Number 10
Volume 5 Number 11
Volume 6 Number 1
Volume 6 Number 2
Volume 6 Number 3
Volume 6 Number 4
Volume 6 Number 5
Volume 6 Number 6
Pharma News
Hospital News
Mark Neuenschwander: I’ve been thinking about Roy Rogers, meaningful use, and wet cement. | open full screen
Health Politics
James Ellerson: For some pharmacists the truth will be ‘inconvenient’. WHY is it so?? | open full screen
Dr David More: An Insider's Comment on NEHTA's PerformanceClimate Change
EPublications
For some pharmacists the truth will be ‘inconvenient’. WHY is it so??
Sir Winston Churchill said “Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is.”
Elvis Presley said “Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.”
At the PAC 2009 Conference John Menadue’s forthright messages made it abundantly clear that the sun was shining very brightly indeed.
Here are the ‘message sticks’ that resonated with me:
About that "Un-Invitation"
Dr John Dunlop (PGDipPharm, MPharm, DPharm(Auck), FACPP, FNZCP, FPSNZ, MCAPA)
It was interesting reading John Menadue’s speech given at the Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney in October.
It was even more interesting to read of the UN-invitation by the Queensland branch of the College of Pharmacy Practice and Management, the stance taken by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society, to support only pharmacy activities provided from within a community pharmacy.
How draconian is that?
Research has demonstrated, as has the low uptake of new professional services from within a community pharmacy, that the existing community pharmacy model is not compatible with the implementation of these new professional opportunities.
The two major arguments put forward are ‘lack of time’ and ‘lack of funding’.
A Green Pharmacy is Gold
Simon Divecha, Director of GreenMode, a consultancy that assist business and people to find their carbon and sustainable advantages spoke at the recent Pharmacy 2009 Conference.
Simon has assisted businesses including BP Solar, Origin Energy, Lend Lease, ANZ and IAG.
His challenge to community pharmacy is to identify and take advantage of the opportunities that exist for businesses that have such close relationships with their local communities.
What are we doing to ourselves?
Over the last months, I've noticed the position taken by both the Guild as well as individual pharmacists on our on-line forums.
In his recent address Mr John Menadue poses the question - are pharmacists the most change-resistant health profession?
And if so, what is our future likely to hold?
What can we do about it?
Personally, I have to agree with him - if we as a group - and not just the Guild, DON'T take innovation as a prerequisite for how we practice our profession, then in 20 years time, what will we have left?
Picture - the wood for the trees
Another year has gone by and what have we done with technology in the health sector?
A good question that deserves a long and detailed review as a written dissertation by somebody learned and influential in health informatics, government, consulting or from the many agencies, departments and committees engaged in delivering e-health service to the Australian public; notably as a value proposition for the tax payers in the greater voting public cohort.
Advancing Self Care
Imagine a pharmacy that had a range of eye catching kiosks that utilised easy to use touch screen technology.
Not passive kiosks, but kiosks that are interactive with customers/patients to efficiently provide a perceived need.
It’s not a new idea, but the marketing of health care through kiosks certainly represents an organised method of transferring information to customers/patients and assisting them to make good health decisions.
One current form of kiosk that is beginning to take hold in Europe and the US is the vision kiosk.
Wind Farm will Power Sydney's Desalination Plant
Source: AAP NewsWire
Communications Technology - a nudge from the big end of town
National Health IT assumed prominence recently when the National Business Council of Australia wrote directly to prime minister, Kevin Rudd, urging him to create a focus on communications technology and to invest appropriate funds.
I wonder if they were aware of the organisational performance 0f NEHTA and their inability to date, to actually deliver suitable infrastructure and systems.
And with $'s millions already wasted by NEHTA I am sure there is hesitancy by government to spend even more, given the dismal track record to date.
Health communications is stuck in a deep groove.
But it is interesting to note that the Business Council of Australia see productivity and investment opportunities in health if only the primary health players could integrate better and talk to one another.
Shared health communications underpins this potential benefit as the many writers for i2P have continually pointed out.
With the big end of town taking more interest, maybe government and health professionals can align themselves more fluidly.
A read of David More's blog article from a NEHTA insider in this edition of i2P, leaves you still wondering how an alignment can take place without removing the NEHTA structure completely.
Health info needs urgent technological injection
Source: Industry Search -24/11/2009
http://www.industrysearch.com.au/Features/Health-info-needs-urgent-technological-injection-4306
Read the BCA letter in full here
Powering up by osmosis
An unusual form of renewable energy has emerged recently in a novel format involving the use of fresh water and salt water interaction across a membrane that creates osmotic pressure.
This pressure has been demonstrated to be able to drive a turbine that can produce an electric current.
Osmotic pressure is well known in medicine with adjustments having to be made to eye drop and injection formulas to minimise the pain associated with the administration of these medicine forms.
The process is a more controllable form of natural energy when compared with weather-dependent versions of energy generation (solar, wind, tidal etc) and has a reasonably small and discrete footprint in the environment.
With a bit of imagination it is not too far of a stretch to have the salt water filtered through another form of membrane to create fresh water to be recycled within a closed system.
Norway tries osmotic power to harnessing power of salt
Source: Industry Search
http://www.industrysearch.com.au/News/Norway-tries-osmotic-power-to-harnessing-power-of-salt-42094
Insuring the Disabled
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is to be commended for the initiative in having a look at the feasibility of creating a no fault disability insurance scheme.
Disability can cause disaster to any family structure and can be a constant drain on financial resources that can add to further stresses up to, and involving bankruptcies.
By putting in place a proper financial underpin, each family member is enabled to be productive and self-sustaining. This can create a net gain to the taxation base when viewed globally, to include service providers and industries that can feed off that activity stream.
PM calls for national disability reforms
Source:DPS Guide to Aged Care
http://www.agedcareguide.com.au/news.asp?newsid=4178
Should patents apply to the natural world?
I can't but help wonder if the move to be able to patent all things natural is a smart move.
Take for example the Neam tree that grows wild in the northern part of Australia.
The leaves of this tree make a great insect repellent with no known side effects.
An entrepreneurial Australian a few years back, decided to grow these trees and was surprised to have legal documents served on him claiming royalties and damages from some obscure US company that had registered a patent for all things Neam.
Unfortunately, there was no legal defence for the Australian grower.
Now there is an outcry by vested interests because the Australian government has resisted pressures to allow the patenting of human genes.
All sorts of calamities are therefore predicted for the local biotech industries.
But I wonder if these claims will prove to be valid?
Follow the debate in this article:
Ban drives 'biotech industry to its knees'
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,26309574-5011761,00.html?from=public_rss
Source: AAP
Public Hospitals - Time they were fixed
Queensland Health struggles through another drama after using instruments that had been used on patients and left unsterilised.
But it's not just Bundaberg Hospital that is sick - the entire Australian hospital system needs a radical overhaul.
The Rudd government had promised to "fix" the problem after taking office, but so far has not made any noticeable progress.
Read about the latest problem.
Qld Health cleaning up after dental sterilisation scare
Source: ABC Online
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/18/2745842.htm
By Chris O'Brien
Patient uses initiative to attract nurses
If anyone has ever been a patient in a hospital and tried the buzzer to get assistance from a nurse, then here is a new innovation to get attention.
Not that the nursing fraternity should shoulder the blame.
It's the politicians and the lack of political will to solve this issue and many others.
Congratulations to the patient and his initiative in dialling triple O.
Read the full story here:
Man rings triple-0 from hospital bed
Source: ABC Online
by Cate Grant
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/18/2745829.htm
What's good for climate is good for health
Health professionals from around the world are slowly waking up to the fact that climate change can induce adverse effects on health.
At i2P we have been carrying messages for just on two years, regarding climate change effects, including research reports from our own writer Con Berbatis, in the hope that official pharmacy would see the need and develop policies and strategies for pharmacists to adopt.
Now, with the formation of the International Climate and Health Council a recognised forum is available to be addressed.
Will pharmacists be given a seat at the table?
Perhaps the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia should find out.
Health Professionals Around The World Launch The International Climate And Health Council
Source: Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172330.php?nfid=20247
Ageing slowly and safely
The ageing process is relentless with function loss noticeably diminishing over the age of 60.
Supplementation of nutrients holds one key to slowing down some of the processes, in particular the loss of muscle mass and the subsequent aches and pains that follow as the skeletal system is no longer held together in an optimum manner.
This process can be a contributor to falls and more serious damage.
Not being able to adequately stay on your feet as you age, robs you of your independence.
It would seem that a strategy of slowing down slowly might be prudent for the age demographic entering retirement - the "baby-boomers".
Antioxidants could help preserve muscle strength
Source: Reuters Health
By Marilynn Larkin
Are we planning for future skill shortages?
National Seniors Agency have published a report indicating that Australia will have a shortfall of 1.4 million workers by 2025.
This shortage will also be reflected in the profession of pharmacy.
It is pointed out that a smart move would be to match an improved workplace to match specific requirements for mature-aged employees and thus retain them for longer periods..
APESMA has recently published an online survey in an endeavour to poll employed pharmacists on the issues that affect them specifically. Obviously, this is a move in the right direction, and much of what they are polling has a direct relationship to mature-aged employees.
So what is community pharmacy doing to retain their senior pharmacists?
Very little, it seems.
i2P asked Mark Coleman to comment and his commentary appears below the news item:
1 
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PDF version | Barry Urquhart |
Barry Urquhart, Managing Director of Marketing Focus, Perth. Barry is an internationally recognised conference keynote speaker, facilitator of strategic planning workshops and marketing business coach. | |
You are on your own. Federal governments around the world are progressively planning, scheduling and, in a few instances, implementing cut backs in the economic stimuli and financial guarantees. As a consequence, more “normal” economic circumstances will prevail during the ensuing two years. The impact and importance of a dynamic marketplace will soon become apparent to all. The business fraternity can expect to experience a “jobless recovery”. Accordingly, consumer expenditure will be selective, patchy and difficult to accurately project. Business-to-business transaction volume will be constrained, impeded somewhat by relatively tight credit policies being maintained by the banks and financiers. “Gearing up” does not appear to be a phrased that will be applied broadly. Hence improved profits will be most readily be found with internal efficiency initiatives, refinements to the manner in which business is done and an emphasis of winning a greater “share of wallet”, rather than pursuing unfettered increases in share of market. Competitive edge and advantage will be incremental and progressive. Dichotomies between leaders and managers will become apparent in sectors, regions and marketplaces ……and there is a significant difference.
So, let me repeat. You are on your own. It will be you and your leadership qualities which will determine the extent of the rewards.
FIVE SECOND SERVICE
Do visit our website and view the 8 minute segment “5 Second Service” that was recently telecast on the Channel 7 television program “Today Tonight”. Simply follow this link.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN
Understandably, many people are perplexed by the differing analyses and forecasts for the Australian and global economies as “we go forward”.
There is no evidence of consensus on what will be the circumstances, trends and outcomes as different nations and regions progressively emerge from the downturn which was a consequence of the Global Financial Crisis.
Let me share with you one key finding and conclusion from an intensive and extensive workshop conducted with a team of academics, consultants, financiers and senior corporate executives during October.
Within the next 14 to 24 months widespread progress and economic upturns will be enjoyed by all the nations in the OECD. (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development).
That progress and upturn will not be experienced without pain. It will variously include higher interest rates, increased unemployment and underemployment, mortgage stress, squeezed trading margins, competitive commodity prices, inconsistent cash flows, mortgage foreclosures and business failures. Common among those nations will be the changed and lessening role of governments.
However, let me stress, nothing is new. The marketplace needs to cleanse, refine and restructure itself to provide better platforms for sustainable improved and improving performance standards. Moreover, each of the individual tragedies detailed above represents opportunities for those who are well placed to capitalise.
We have learnt a lot within and from a diverse range of clients and industry/commerce sectors since the full effects of the GFC have impacted on economies and entities. Our challenge at Marketing Focus has been to ensure that appropriate frameworks are in place to ensure alignment exists between three key elements, being:-
· MARKET STRUCTURE FRAMEWORK
· CORPORATE CULTURE REFINEMENT
· STRATEGIC PLANNING TEMPLATE
An absence of, deficiency in or inappropriate sequencing of one or all of these does deny an entity the prospect and foundation for competitive advantage, sustainable development and stability.
PROFITABLE RELATIONSHIPS
Close relationships come at a cost.
Really knowing the perceptions, preferences, expectations and buying habits of existing and prospective customers accord businesses considerable benefits, advantages and rewards. Business owners, managers and staff members expect increased revenue, repeat purchases and recommendations in return.
Investments in data base collection, retrieval, collation and analysis require appreciable investment in time, money and resources.
The information trails being exploited include reward programs, company badged credit cards, priority/reward initiatives and personalised direct marketing communications.
Information is power, and to many, a bankable commodity.
HIGHER EXPECTATIONS
The latest consumer research into business practices reveals that clients and customers are aware of and sensitive to the “push” by companies to gain more information about themselves and their expenditure patterns.
Significant new, or perhaps previously unrecognised, findings reveal that as relationships are established with businesses, brands, services and service providers consumers develop higher expectations about customer service standards and product/service quality, they become less tolerant of suboptimal performance delivery, tend to be more expressive and, given the closer relationships, are more targeted (read: personal) in their expressions, be they positive or negative.
Thus, the widely held truism that customers are becoming more discerning and demanding is set on solid foundations.
It is a consequence of commonly applied business practices which are a conspicuous manifestation of the “relationship marketing” philosophy and era.
NO HALF MEASURES
Sadly, a significant percentage of small to medium sized businesses commit to embracing the concepts of relationship marketing, data base management, customer field farming and then decidedly compromise the principles and frustrate customers by providing insufficient funds, resources and times for the appropriate supportive infrastructure.
Large numbers of invaluable information banks on individual customers remain inert and rapidly aging to obsolescence because of under-resourcing .
Ideally, internal or possibly external people should be assigned to work and to capitalise on the potential business enhancements for specific time spans and on specific dates to undertake nominated activities. There is no room for “loose” undocumented, subjective expectations.
Close relations enable businesses, and fosters expectations among clients and customers, to customised, personal communications which provide unique and, possibly, excusive offers.
An active, current and malleable database enables firms and departments to fulfil the base desired performance standards of not less than 6 communications within a 12 month period (preferably, employing a spectrum of media including emails, text messages, brochures, telephone calls and personal visits).
Moreover, the essence of an active data base is currency. That is, the information contained is relevant and pertinent.
Typically, some 1.2% to 5% of a database phase into obsolescence each calendar month. This necessitates constant monitoring and effective management, with a total revision around every 9 months.
Clearly, such administrative details cannot be effectively undertaken by part time or casual employees or with a non-specific allocation of time and resources.
Customer relationship data bases dictate a disciplined approach. That is one of the reasons why so many are ineffective, contribute little to growth or enhance competitiveness and are perceived by some business owners, managers and staff members to be intolerable burdens.
MEETING EXPECTATIONS
One interesting aspect of good performing relationship marketing data bases is that staff members are recipients of all communications before such is received by existing, prospective and past clients.
Low tolerance customers and clients are incensed when responding to customised communications they are confronted with an uninformed, often detached staff member who exhibits the characteristics of a person lacking product knowledge. It is not a scenario on which positive, long term relationships are founded and sustained.
So, getting closer to customers does come with benefits and advantages with the countervailing force of costs and obligations.
RELATIONSHIP AUDITS
Important information can and should be elicited from all team members who directly interact with and service customers.
An audit of just how well they know their customers and their perceptions, preferences and buying habits can be enlightening, confronting and in some instances disappointing.
Often there is a considerable disconnect between the operation of customer data bases and an evident lack of knowledge about customers which permeates many entities.
The ideas and aspirations of relationship marketing data bases all to often falter because of the inadequate funding and resource allocation. It is difficult to budget for the non delivery of potential and opportunities.
Like most things in life and business there is a need to recognise the inextricable association between rights and obligations, then to strike a balance between the two.
THE AUTHOR
Barry Urquhart is Managing Director of Marketing Focus, Perth.
He is a former lecturer in management, marketing and organisational behaviour at the Curtin University of Technology.
Barry consults to, facilitates interactive workshops with and provides customer conference keynote addresses for big and small entities in the public and private sector.
He regularly visits and works in Britain, North America, South Africa, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
Email: urquhart@marketingfocus.net.au
Web: www.marketingfocus.net.au
Tel: (08) 9257 1777
Mob: 041 983 5555
Return to homeResearch Reports
Dr Andrew Byrne & Associates: Does methadone cause QT problems or is it often viral?Practice Development
Dr John Dunlop (PGDipPharm, MPharm, DPharm(Auck), FACPP, FNZCP, FPSNZ, MCAPA): About that "Un-Invitation" | open full screen
Dr Linda Bryant (PGDipPharm, MPharm, DPharm(Auck), FACPP, FNZCP, FPSNZ, MCAPA): I just want them to THINK! | open full screen
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