Detailed Analysis: Australia's National Medication Policy and Outcomes

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Australia's National Medication Policy, initially implemented in 1999. It outlines the policy's objectives, which include improving health outcomes, ensuring equal access to medication, and clarifying roles within healthcare. The report details the vision, short and medium-term goals, and priorities, emphasizing the roles of various stakeholders like government, health practitioners, and educators. It examines the policy's impact on nursing practices, highlighting the need for proper medication management and patient monitoring. Furthermore, it analyzes the policy's positive outcomes on the Australian healthcare system, such as improved coordination, access to affordable medication, and the emphasis on quality and safety standards. The report concludes by emphasizing the policy's role in retaining universal access to healthcare services and its overall contribution to improving the health outcomes of Australians.

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
AND POLICIES
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
National health policy can be defined as all course of action, plan and decision are taken
to achieve specific health care goals within particular society. The main aim of national health
policy is to create a optimum environment or place for people to stay health and fit for longer
time frame by having standard quality of life. This report is about one of the national policy of
Australia “National Medication Policy” which has included key information related to the
publisher, goals and target audience of policies. Furthermore, it outlines vision, shorts and
medium terms goals along with expected priorities and roles of different stakeholders. It has also
explained the way National Medication Policy has impact on nursing practice and outcome on
Australian Health care system. So, the main purpose of making report is to understand the impact
on nursing and health care system.
MAIN BODY
National Medication Policy has been initially implemented in 1999 by cooperative
endeavour or partnership by group of individuals such as government, health practitioners,
educators, pharmaceutical company and other healthcare provider as well as suppliers. The
purpose of the policies is to promote better health outcome among people living in Australian
society so that they can live healthy and fit for many years (Sluggett and et.al., 2017). This
policy also lays emphasis on equal and ease access of medicine to all individuals in society so
that they can easily resolve their respective health issue. Therefore, there are various goals that
are promoted through implementation of National Medication Policy of Australia which can be
illustrated as follows:
 The policy has been made with an motivate to provide quality care responsive as per
needs and preferences of people so that they can easily recover from problem or any
health issue.
 Continuous and ease access to basic health services through Medicare.
 Furthermore the policy has helped in clarifying roles and responsibilities needs to be
performed by each individual in health care so that better services can be delivered to
patient in limited time frame.
 Providing incentive for preventive health and cost effective care.
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The National Medication Policy has targeted all people that have health issue and required
medical care in order to stay healthy and fit life. The policy has various vision and short term and
medium term target (Morton and et.al., 2019).
Likewise its vision is “to improve health outcome of Australian individuals through
providing them easy access to use and intake medicine for their better health and well being.”
On contrary note, its short term goals are that all individuals have timely access to affordable
medicines so that people can be protected from diseases”.
At the same time, their medium term goal is to “Offer high quality medicine that are more
effective and safe for patient thereby contribute in improving its overall health condition.”
Priority has been set related to key action that has to be taken to provide quick and ease
access to medicine to each person living in Australia for better recovery from health issue.
Likewise, the policy has set priority regarding that there should be equal distribution of the
medicine in all health care so that every individual have access to the same. Therefore, the policy
will make sure that there would not be any kind of discrimination among people in terms of
gender, caste, religion while providing medicine (World Health Organization, 2018). Secondly, it
has set priority in terms of quality care is responsibility of each and every healthcare so that it
can easily recover from the problem. Thirdly priority is made regarding delegation of roles and
responsibilities that needs to be performed by each individual so that there are less chance of
confusion and conflict while dealing with patient.
In addition to this, more priorities has been set by Australian stakeholder related to “National
Medication Policy” is providing advices about quality. Implementing best practice guidelines in
prescribing medicines to range of patient as per their condition. Another role of priority is
development of national overview of prescribing initiative, practices, policies and resources.
Moreover, the National Medication Policy” has also included roles related to national leadership
and coordinating resources with an motivate to maintained consistency and objective medicine
information for every prescribers (Amin and et.al., 2017).
Different stakeholders that are interest and influence through the” National Medication
Policy” are government, health practitioners, healthcare facilities providers, people living in
society and health educators. All these play different roles in promoting and implementing the
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policy so that Australian citizen can enjoy healthy lifestyle. Likewise the role of healthcare
facility provider to ensure that there are all type of medicine available for patient so that they can
be treated as earlier as possible. They are also responsible for maintaining quality of medicine by
storing them in safe and secure environment so that no harm can be caused to other individuals
(McEvoy, 2018). At the same time they should distribute knowledge or educated people about
medicine and their respective usage so that they can be easily treated from any problem.
Role of government is to ensure that the National Medication Policy is strictly abided by
each and every individual in Australia so that there are less chance of discrimination in
distributing medicine to people. So, the government have plays an active role and responsible for
over viewing implementation of policy for better health and well being of people. Moreover they
organise health education program to provide education to people about the judicious use of
medicine in their daily life (McEvoy, 2018). The program also contributed in understanding the
guideline related to prescription, quality of medicine need to be maintained and many more.
While the health educators plays responsibilities related to educating people about the best use of
available medicine by in -taking them from time to time. It provides knowledge to health
practitioners and professional related to type of medicine needs to given to specific patient in
particular situation so that it can be well treated (Polinski, 2020). Therefore, all these different
stakeholders by playing wide range of roles and responsibilities related to “National Medication
Policy” has resulted in providing better healthcare services to all people in Australia. Consumers
also play fundamental role in National Medication Policy as they are individuals whose have
some needs, health problem or issue thus all partner or stakeholder are committed to delivery
services so that they can easily overcome.
Medicine plays an important role in maintaining, protecting and restoring health of people by
overcoming them from several health issues. The “National Medication Policy” contributed in
appropriate medicines of assured quality at reasonable price to all individuals so that they can
easily have it. So, this policy has impacted on nursing practice or health policy as they have to
store, preserve medicine as per the policy in order to delivered services to various patients.
Likewise, there are many misuses or ineffective utilisation of medicine so with implementation
of this policy, nursing practice needs to ensure best use of medicine by providing right medicine
to right patient at right time so it can be cure (Wright and Bonser, 2020). The nursing practice
before prescribing medicine to any patient needs to know its health condition, factor that has
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cause health problem or issue thus on the basic of it should prescribe a medicine that can cure.
The healthcare needs to make the access process much simpler and streamline so that people can
get it in minimum time without spending much cost and time. Moreover, it should ensure that
medicine are made as per nationally standardise regulation thereby continuously monitor to make
sure that the medicine is qualitative and safe. In Addition to this in nursing practice, the
healthcare professional needs to monitor that the patient makes judicious use of given medicine
or no unnecessary used is make.
The National Medication Policy” have positive outcome on Australian healthcare system as it
helps in distributing the task and roles and responsibilities needs to be completed by specify
individual. Which further eradicate the confusion level to maximum extend thus helps in
delivering services to patient in limited time frame. Through this policy each partners has accepts
its responsibilities as per their unique capabilities and perspective which lead in achievements of
end goals (Sluggett and et.al., 2017). Each partner by performing its respective roles and
responsibilities in healthcare are able to provide wise and ease access to medicine to range of
people living in Australia for their better health. Therefore, it can be interpreted that it has lead in
coordinating and integrating resources with each other so that optimum outcome can be achieved
(Sobeski and et.al., 2020). The healthcare system of Australia much improved with the launch of
National Medication Policy as it focused on people needs on the basis of which bring skill,
experienced and knowledge healthcare professional that can delivered qualitative service to
patient. It has forced healthcare system to have only medicines that are appropriate as per
standard of quality, safety and efficacy for optimum health outcome. In addition, previous the
medicine were provide at high rate but with implementation of National Medication Policy all
individual have access to medicine at affordable rate for better health outcome and growth of
society.
Healthcare system as per the guidelines given in the policies needs to prescribe medication
treatment to patient. So, the National Medication Policy has overall change the Australian
healthcare system by improving the method to delivered services to people for their better health
outcome (Morton and et.al., 2019). Thereby, at last it can be interpreted that it has retain the
benefits of universal access to healthcare services as healthcare effectively ensure that all
medicine are present so that they can be timely given to patient as per their condition.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that this report was about national policy
which aims at making health and well –being of people better. National Medication Policy is one
of the policies of Australia related to medicine that need to be provided to individuals so that it
can be easily cure from problem. Moreover, through the report, it has been learn that various
stakeholders perform different roles and responsibilities related to National Medication Policy
that has yield maximum outcome. At same time it can be concluded that the policy has impact on
both nursing practices as well as healthcare system of Australia. Such as it lead in improvement
in healthcare services delivered to patient thereby health outcome of people living in Australia
society.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Amin, K and et.al., 2017. Effect of Medicaid policy changes on medication adherence:
differences by baseline adherence. Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy, 23(3).
pp.337-345.
McEvoy, G .K., 2018. Bringing medication prescribing out of the dark: time for full disclosure.
Morton, J. M and et.al., 2019. Association of bariatric surgery and national medication
use. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 228(2). pp.171-179.
Polinski, J. M., 2020. The international generalisability of evidence for health policy: a cross
country comparison of medication adherence following policy change.
Sluggett, J. K and et.al., 2017. Medication management policy, practice and research in
Australian residential aged care: current and future directions. Pharmacological
research, 116. pp.20-28.
Sobeski, L.M and et.al., 2020. Medication Access: Policy and Practice Opportunities for
Pharmacists. Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.
World Health Organization, 2018. Handbook for national quality policy and strategy: a practical
approach for developing policy and strategy to improve quality of care.
Wright, K. M. and Bonser, M., 2020. The Essential Steps of Medication Administration Practices
Project medication administration improvement practices among acute inpatients in a
tertiary hospital: a best practice implementation project. JBI Evidence
Implementation, 18(4). pp.408-419.
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