MUR funding shifts pharmacy into patients' homes

Christchurch pharmacists have been funded to deliver Medicines Use Reviews since shortly after the Christchurch earthquakes. With the stated goal of helping people stay well in their own homes and communities and to take greater responsibility for their own health, it empowers accredited pharmacists to consult with patients and advise them how to better use and understand their medicines. Medicines Therapy Assessments are a recent addition to the service, funding qualified pharmacists to provide advice on medicines optimisation. It has been a slow start getting the service off the ground, but pharmacists are finally beginning to meet the targets for the service set by the DHB. Pharmacy Today reporter Jonathan Chilton-Towle spent a day in Christchurch exploring the ins and outs of its Medicines Management Service