About the stream
The Health Professional Education (HPE) stream supports free educational activities for health professionals to support the quality use of medicines.
These activities support evidence-based initiatives and education programs, so health professionals can:
- be confident when diagnosing and managing chronic and complex conditions
- access current tools and resources to aid patient management
- improve the transition of care through appropriate referrals, and team care arrangements
- provide consumer-focused care that allows for shared decision-making and self-management
- improve health outcomes and support appropriate use of medicines.
The activities engage health professionals, such as:
- specialists or general practitioners
- pharmacists
- nurses
- aged care and disability workers
- Aboriginal health practitioners and health workers.
Goals
The grant opportunity aims to:
- implement a coordinated, system-wide approach for the appropriate use of therapeutics, diagnostics and pathology
- provide evidence-based academic detailing and professional development behaviour change initiatives that support quality use of medicines
- reduce medicine-related hospital admissions and low-value care
- promote coordination and collaboration across the health sector.
Apply for funding
We publish grant opportunities on GrantConnect when available.
Projects under this stream
Quality Use of Medicines for Insomnia and Sleep Health (QUMISH)
The Australasian Sleep Association-led consortium aims to improve quality use of medicines for insomnia and sleep health. It will provide evidence-based health education and behaviour-change activities for pharmacists.
Qhub: Quality use of medicines project
The Medcast-led consortium will deliver educational programs for health professionals. There are 4 workstreams for gout, atopic dermatitis, antidepressants and oral anticoagulants.
The project aims to:
- minimise harm to consumers
- optimise the benefits of medicines
- improve consumer health literacy
- support sustainability of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medical Benefits Scheme
- build partnerships to improve the use of medicines.
Optimising medicines governance with shared decision-making resources
The Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups consortium will help prescribers who work in hospitals and communicate with consumers. They promote quality use of medicines for off-label medicines, biologics and biosimilars, and high-cost medicines.
Improving shared decision-making on medicines through better conversations
The Consumers Health Forum will deliver a health professional education package that supports improvements in shared decision-making and health literacy.
Quality use of medicines in chronic airways disease
The Lung Foundation Australia will lead the project to design and deliver a Chronic Airways Disease Education Program for health care professionals. They deliver the program to Primary Health Networks, Local Hospital Networks, and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service sector.
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) quality use of medicines projects
Good Medicine Better Health is a series of professional development modules and consumer resources to improve the use of medicines and medical tests. The series discusses topics developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, practitioners and their communities.
The NACCHO Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Academy transfers skills from the Australian AMS community to health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Quality use of diagnostics, therapeutics and pathology (QUDTP) web resources are available on the NACCHO website. This comprehensive collection of evidence-based resources are for health professionals and consumers in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health settings.
Medicines Advice Initiative Australia (MAIA) – supporting quality use of medicines
The University of South Australia will lead the MAIA project. It will provide educational interventions to:
- general practitioners
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations
- accredited pharmacists
- hospitals and health service organisations.
The University of South Australia consortium will also deliver:
- a Primary Health Network engagement strategy
- data-driven innovations and research comparing the effectiveness of different educational messaging.