The importance of evidence-based practice in pharmacy will be examined a so part of a major plenary session at PAC10 entitled Practicing Professionally in a Commercial Environment.

Director of the Postgraduate Studies and Professional Development Unit at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Kirstie Galbraith, will examine how evidence-based practice is about solving clinical problems.

"As pharmacists we are faced with clinical problems every day and we need skills in knowing how to solve them," she said.

"Evidence-based practice (EBP) is more than just knowing the published evidence; it requires the integration of the best research evidence with our clinical expertise and our patient's unique values and circumstances.

"Using an example from practice, this presentation will introduce a widely accepted structured approach to clinical decision making and finding and implementing evidence in practice"

The session will help pharmacists attain Seven Star Pharmacist status by demonstrating the importance of practising within an EBP framework and describing how they can integrate evidence-based practice skills into their daily practice.

Ms Galbraith has many years of experience as a hospital and community pharmacist, and has been the Course Director of the Master of Clinical Pharmacy program since its inception in 2003.

She has been instrumental in developing academic units in online format to enable student flexibility in their learning.

She is also the unit coordinator of a semester long online unit in EBP, which was developed in conjunction with Greg Duncan at Monash University. This unit is delivered to a multidisciplinary group of students and has an emphasis on practical application of evidence in patient care.

Being held in Melbourne from 28-31 October this year, delegates to PAC10 can earn up to 35 Continuing Professional Development credits during the congress.

Source:
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia