NPS MedicineWise, previously the National Prescribing Service (NPS), was an Australian not-for-profit prescribing and pharmaceutical information service. The NPS was founded in March 1998 and funded by the federal

Department of Health and Aged Care The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, previously the Department of Health and Aged Care, is the Australian Government department responsible for funding and regulation of health care, aged care and some disability programs. It also ...

under the

Quality Use of Medicines The term Quality use of medicines is used by the Australian government as part of their policies on effective and correct uses of medicine and access to appropriate medicines. Guiding Principles Quality Use of Medicines (abbreviated to QUM) is one ...

(QUM) grant. It provided practical tools, education programs, and evidence-based drug and therapeutics information to clinicians and patients, with the intention of improving the way health technologies, including how

medicines Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

and

medical tests A medical test is a medical procedure performed to screening (medicine), detect, medical diagnosis, diagnose, or monitoring (medicine), monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. Medical tests suc ...

, are prescribed and used. In March 2022, the Department of Health and Aged Care announced a plan to withdraw QUM funding of NPS MedicineWise as part of redesigning the QUM program and National Medicines Policy. The controversial decision resulted in NPS MedicineWise resources being handed over to the

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) is the national health care standards agency for all health services, general practices, pathology and medical imaging providers in Australia. The commission is part of the ...

, and related programs such as the ''Australian Prescriber'' journal and Choosing Wisely being externalised.

Overview

NPS MedicineWise was founded in 1998 as part of an

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

shift in health policy to address issues around

(QUM). NPS MedicineWise' initial mandate was to reduce the cost of medicines to Australia's

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a program of the Australian Government that subsidises prescription medication for Australian citizens and permanent residents, as well as international visitors covered by a reciprocal health car ...

(PBS) by providing clinically reviewed independent information about medicines to

doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

pharmacists A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

, and other

health professionals A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physi ...

. Many of these materials relate to new drugs or more complex grey areas in the prescription process. Since 2003, NPS MedicineWise has assumed a secondary mandate: promoting discussion of basic medicine-related issues in the community via

consumer education Consumer education is the preparation of an individual to be capable of making informed decisions when it comes to purchasing products in a consumer culture. It generally covers various consumer goods and services, prices, what the consumer can ...

programs and major award-winning campaigns, including
Be Medicinewise Week
', launched in January 2011. The campaign has been broadcast across a wide spectrum of media channels and addressed common health issues such as

lower back pain Low back pain or wiktionary:lumbago#Etymology, lumbago is a common musculoskeletal disorders, disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back, in between the lower edge of the ribs and the lower fold of the buttocks. Pain can var ...

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, and the

active ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. ...

of medicines. Although NPS MedicineWise has brought wide-ranging savings to the Australian health system, critics have questioned the actual causes and ramifications of such savings."You're joking. Nearly all the reduction in prescribing is because of the threat of Medicare investigating us for not being below the 50th percentile. Nothing to do with balanced education and practical advice to GPs." Dr. I-M Suspicioustoo. http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/commentall.asp?artid=201782534 However, the savings reported by the organization are comprehensively evaluated and accepted by the government, demonstrating a clear correlation between NPS MedicineWise programs and improved prescribing.

Historical success

In the period between 1998 and 2004, 90% of all GPs were actively involved in one or more educational activities run by NPS MedicineWise, while approximately sixty percent of GPs and pharmacists rated its printed educational materials as good or very good. NPS MedicineWise's activities have generated substantial financial savings for PBS, with the organization claiming that its information and education campaigns have reduced unnecessary prescriptions and improved prescribing decisions within the medical community. Various health professionals argue that, despite potential conflicts between cost-saving and the organization's Quality Use of Medicines mandate, NPS Medicinewise will continue to improve on the current PBS system. NPS MedicineWise has also developed programs and resources to help consumers and health practitioners discuss health issues and improve the QUM within Australia.

Events

National Medicines Symposium (NMS)

NMS is the pre-eminent quality use of medicines symposium held in Australia. Held every two years, the scientific program is designed to provide the latest and the controversial in the medicines and health environment and is delivered by international and nationally acclaimed experts.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Medical and health organisations based in Australia Pharmaceuticals policy