Project Summary

This project had two objectives: (1) to develop standards for distance counselling, and (2) to enhance the role of community pharmacists in rural and remote Queensland as part of the health care team, by allowing the provision of information on the quality use of medicines to dispensing doctors, and to patients supplied through pharmacy depots. The study was initiated in recognition of the sub-optimal access to pharmacy services experienced by rural and remote communities in Australia. Through the use of videophones it was hoped that ‘face-to-face’ contact between health professionals (ie, dispensing GPs, pharmacists and Aboriginal health workers) in various areas of Queensland would facilitate more appropriate use of medications in rural/remote regions. However, due to technical difficulties with the videophones, only a draft set of standards based on existing literature were produced.