The latest issue of Australia's free, national, independent journal of drugs and therapeutics is now available. Australian Prescriber facilitates debate about complex, controversial or uncertain therapeutic areas. Some of the highlights of the October issue include:
Suicidality: prevention, detection and intervention
In Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death among those aged 16 to 24 years, while the suicide rates in men aged over 85 years are the highest for any age group. Many patients who attempt suicide visit their GP in the preceding month making GPs well placed to help reduce suicide. The article gives insights into best practices for assessing patients’ suicidality and in selecting the most appropriate management.
Medication management on ‘sick days’
During intercurrent illness, the risk of an adverse drug event could be increased by the ongoing use of some medicines by patients with chronic disease. This article examines the important comorbidities that may impede a normal homeostatic response to disturbed fluid balance, the drugs associated with adverse events in intercurrent illness, and the usefulness of understanding pharmacokinetic factors associated with periods of significant illness (‘sick days’). The article advises how to predict and manage patients at risk.
Prescribing for frail older people
This article focuses on prescription management for frail older people, including recommendations on how to tailor treatment for these patients when applying the six steps in the World Health Organization’s Guide to Good Prescribing. While there is currently no universal way to identify patients with frailty in clinical practice, the prevalence of frailty is estimated to be 10% in older adults living in the community.
Other articles in the October issue of Australian Prescriber include:
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Treatment for fibromyalgia
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Antibiotic prophylaxis for dental procedures
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Drug dosing in obese adults
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Access to unregistered drugs in Australia
Australia Prescriber is now digital only and available at nps.org.au/australianprescriber.
Experts are available for media interviews.
Media contact
Juliet Pisani-Forde: 02 8217 8249, 0406 017 791 or jpisaniforde@nps.org.au
Eve Hanks: 02 8217 9667, 0414 589 537 or ehanks@nps.org.au