The latest push for scope expansion in community pharmacy is focussed on the… er… business end of human functioning.
Who said scope of practice expansion was glamourous?
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s newest pet project is getting community pharmacy involved in delivering and supporting the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
That’s right – guild president Professor Trent Twomey (by proxy) wants to prod your poop.
To be fair to the guild, bowel cancer poses a threat; it’s the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and the second deadliest.
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program participation rate has stalled, somewhat.
Between 2022 and 2022, 41.7% of eligible adults aged between 50 and 74 participated in screening, up from 40% the year before and 40.9% the year before that.
Minimum age eligibility has since been lowered to 45.
Around 6% of participants in 2022 and 2023 returned a positive FOBT result.
Since its inception, the program has detected close to 17,000 instances of bowel cancer.
According to the guild, the target for the bowel screening program is 55% of eligible Australians.
By that measure, Professor Twomey said, the current approach is simply not working.
“Community pharmacists know their community and their patients,” he said.
“They already play a key role in supporting patient health, including sensitive conversations and are well placed to help educate patients on the ease, reliability and importance of these lifesaving tests.
“Community pharmacies also have a strong cold chain, which would mean a return to year-round testing and an end to the program’s pause during the summer months.”
Visions of poopsicles lining pharmacy fridges aside, the guild’s pitch has the backing of Bowel Cancer Australia CEO Julien Wiggins, who said that mobilising other health professionals to deliver and support screening would encourage participation.
The national screening program provides participants with toilet liners, airtight collection tubes and a reply-paid envelope.
It’s unclear what the exact role of community pharmacy would entail, beyond potentially prompting patients to test and keeping their nuggets safe and cold.
Screening tests for adults who fall outside the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program age range are already available at community pharmacies.
Save a trip to the pharmacy and send your stool sample to Holly@medicalrepublic.com.au.
