Not all groups representing doctors have rejected the Federal Government’s diabetes management program.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia president Kos Sclavos told Pharmacy eNews some doctors support the plan, but stressed patients would decide whether it was a success or not.
//
“At the end of the day patients will drive this outcome. If it’s extremely popular with the public they’ll find health care professionals that support that approach.
“From our point-of-view we’re still developing as if the scheme is going ahead and there’ll be a number of doctors who support it.
“At this stage, despite what the AMA is saying in its survey, there are specific doctor groups who are supporting it and we’re progressing with the discussions as if nothing has changed,” he said.
A fear of being “second-guessed” by other health professionals is believed to be part of the reason why 98 per cent of AMA members surveyed rejected the Government’s plan.
“They don’t want to be second-guessed by other health professionals - that’s what we’re hearing on the street and that’s one of the reasons they’re not supportive of the scheme,” Mr Sclavos said.
He added pharmacists were in a position to provide “non-threatening” support services to doctors in an effort to improve medication compliance among patients with diabetes.
According to the Guild’s research most people with diabetes have poor medication compliance with the average being 55 per cent.
“If there was some process whereby there was some standard systemised way of a pharmacist doing a compliance program around a diabetes item, because it’s non-threatening to the professional role of the doctor, I believe the doctors would be highly supportive of it.
“Because the one thing the doctor does not know today in the health system is the compliance of a patient,” Mr Sclavos said.
