The Society for Hospital Pharmacists Australia released a report in June on medicine shortages in Australian hospitals. According to the report, the most commonly reported shortages of medicines included antimicrobials and anaesthetics/analgesia.
But the report also highlighted the troubling increase in workloads that medicine shortages create. Managing medicine shortages creates additional workloads as individual pharmacy departments across the country work to secure medicines they need, which in turn creates a destabilising workplace environment while pharmacists work to improve clinical collaboration and patient care.
It’s important to know how your management responds to workload increases due to shortages in medicines and whether your management ensures additional staff are brought in to help cope with increased workloads. Are medicines shortages creating additional work for you? If so let the Union know on 9623 9624 or at enquiry[at]msav.org.au
