Medicines: Improve Your Knowledge Seminar

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8:30am - Registration and Refreshments

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9:00am

Medicines in Context

This session describes the place of medicines within the healthcare system and how the quality, supply, and use of medicines are maintained. It discusses:

• The concept of “essential medicines”, the National Medicines Policy, and the partners involved in its implementation
• The roles of prescribers, pharmacists, and nurses in implementation
• Patterns of medicine use in Australia

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9:30am

Medicines In and Medicines Out

This session looks at how the body acts on a medicine and how medicines act on the body. You will gain an understanding of why this is essential knowledge for anyone administering medicines, and how these factors impact on clinical practice. We will look at:

Absorption and Distribution

• Getting a medicine into the body and to the various organs: why does medicine absorption matter?
• How does a medicine get to its intended site of action?
• What factors affect absorption and distribution?

Metabolism

• Where does medicine metabolism usually occur?
• Why are some medicines activated after metabolism?
• What factors affect metabolism?

Excretion

• Which organs are important routes of medicine excretion?
• What factors affect metabolism?

Clinical implications

• What is the relationship between the effects of a medicine and its concentration in the body?
• What happens when we dose someone repeatedly with a medicine?
• Why is clearance rate important?
• What is meant by “half-life” and why is it important?
• What is meant by “steady state”?
• What is meant by “therapeutic index”? How is it relevant to medication safety?
• What is the effect of a loading dose?
• How do medicines work?
• What is the action on receptors or other targets?
• What are the agonists and antagonists?
• Why do side effects and medicine–medicine interactions occur?
• Why do so-called “selective” medicines have effects on other receptor sites?
• What are adverse medicine reactions and how are they related to medicine dose?

Dosage adjustments

• Why are different doses required in different circumstances?
• What are the issues to consider in medicine dosing?
• Why is this so important when administering medicines?
• Which groups require special attention and why? e.g. paediatric and geriatric patients

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10:30am - Morning Tea

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11:00am

Getting Medicines to Where They Work

This session will review the different dosage forms and routes of administration, including:

• Oral medicines e.g. tablets and capsules
• Parenteral administration e.g. Intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous injections
• Transdermal delivery systems
• Rectal administration
• Inhaled medicines
• Nasal administration
• Ocular administration
• Topical medicines e.g. patches, creams, ointments

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11:45am

Analgesics

The first of the medicine group sessions will look at commonly prescribed analgesics and cover:

• Pathophysiology of pain
• Differentiating between the types of pain
• Pain assessment
• Major medicine classes used in the treatment of pain
• Main practice points for various pain medications
• How medicines in the various classes exert their action on the body
• Most common effects and side effects
• Main practice points for various analgesics

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12:30pm - Lunch and Networking

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1:30pm

Finding Credible Information about Medicines

This session examines an evidence-based approach to the selection and use of medicines and explains how to analyse the large amount of information available. What are the most reliable and up-to-date sources and how do you assess their credibility? Discuss:

• National Treatment Guidelines
• National formulary
• Other resources
• Engaging with evidence – taking a structured approach to filling the information gaps we come across in practice

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3:00pm - Afternoon Tea

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3:30pm

Cardiovascular Medicines

Cardiovascular medicines can be daunting to work with, as the consequences of when things go wrong may be profound. These medicines are often seen as complex and challenging. This session will explore a number of important groups of cardiovascular medicines in common use, including those for:

• Heart failure
• Hypertension
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Cardiac Rhythm
• Dyslipidaemia
• Other cardiac conditions

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4:15pm

Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs)

These medicines are widely used in Australia and are not without risk. This session looks at:

• Issues and risks of CAMs
• How to find information and evidence about their effective use and risks

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4:45pm - Close of Day One of Seminar