Management of Urinary Tract Infections, Oral Contraceptives and Skin Conditions by Community Pharmacists

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The University of Newcastle has been awarded a $6m grant to run the NSW Government’s clinical pharmacy trial. This will for the first time enable pharmacists to supply treatments for urinary tract infections (UTIs), continue a prescription for the re-supply of certain oral contraceptive pills and provide treatment for some skin conditions.

A separate study conducted by Dr Indy Sandaradura, a specialist physician and expert in antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, will assess the potential impact of the UTI trial on antimicrobial resistance.

The research will evaluate the implementation, clinical and economic impact of service models delivered by community pharmacists that provide access to care and treatment for:

Urinary Tract Infections to eligible women aged between 18 years and 65 years
Oral Contraceptives to eligible women aged between 18 years and 35 years
Skin Conditions including impetigo, shingles, dermatitis and mild plaque psoriasis

The project includes partner organisations including peak pharmacy bodies and medical organisations, consumer organisations and universities including Macquarie University, UTS, UNE and CSU across NSW. The George Institute for Global Health and the Hunter Medical Research Institute health economics team will perform an independent evaluation to determine clinical and economic impact against the key success measures provided by the NSW Government, including patient safety.

More information on the NSW Pharmacy Trial is available for pharmacists, consumers and other health professionals through NSW Health.

Over 1200 community pharmacies in NSW have expressed an interest to participate in the trials.

You can search for participating pharmacies by visiting NSW Pharmacy Trial - participating pharmacies. Select pharmacies from the ACT will also participating in the trials.