Managing Medicines in the Mallee: a rural community QUM project
Aim: To provide a structured program addressing requests from consumers for education on QUM within the Mallee Division of General Practice area.
Method: A successful submission was made to the National Prescribing Service for funding under the rural Community QUM program. The MDGP Consumer Focus groups (CFGs) were consulted for ideas on specific issues of interest and local advice on which groups could be approached to host QUM events. The CFGs took on major roles in organisation and promotion. Local and regional media advertised events. Requests from other local organisations for QUM events were incorporated into the program.
Results: The original Rural Resource Kit ‘Be an Active Medicines partner’ was piloted at the first event in Manangatang in association with the Senior Citizens Group in November 2004. Evaluation of this kit was forwarded to NPS. The final kit, ‘Get to know your medicines’ was used for all subsequent events.
From November 2004 to October 2005 a total of 856 people attended 28 events across a 100,000 square km area. Local GPs, Pharmacists, Ancillary Health workers and one Specialist Physician were involved in presenting information at 11 of these events. Some of the QUM presentations were provided as lone events while others were presented as part of educational events on prevention of Cardiovascular disease and Diabetes at the request of the CFGs. Individual QUM presentations were provided upon request from Service and interest groups (e.g. Lions, Rotary, Probus etc.). Consumer educational material was provided to all attendees. 249 of a possible 378 formal evaluations were returned and collated.
Conclusion: There is an interest in and need for information on QUM within rural Communities. This information can be successfully provided to consumers using existing community groups both as stand-alone presentations or as a significant part of multi-disciplinary disease prevention and health promotional activities.