Oliver Frank MBBS, PhD, FRACGP, FACHI, is
University Senior Research Fellow, Discipline
of General Practice, School of Population
Health and Clinical Practice, The University of
Adelaide, South Australia and the Department
of Veterans’ Affairs, Veterans’ Medicines Advice
and Therapeutics Education Services (Veterans’
MATES) Clinical Reference Group.
Christopher P Alderman BPharm, PhD, FSHP,
CGP, BCPP, is Associate Professor, Pharmacy
Department, Repatriation General Hospital,
Adelaide, South Australia and the Department
of Veterans’ Affairs, Veterans’ Medicines Advice
and Therapeutics Education Services (Veterans’
MATES) Clinical Reference Group.
Since the inception of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in the late 1940s there has been a dramatic increase in the range of medicines that are available to the Australian community. The simultaneous rise in the prevalence of chronic disease means that many patients are taking multiple medicines on a long term basis, with a concommitent increased risk of drug related problems1 including adverse effects, and drugdrug interactions and drug-disease interactions.
Download the PDF for the full article.
Correspondence afp@racgp.org.au
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