Practice Alerts

Updates from our Professional
Officers

PDL members are kept notified via our regular email notices called Practice Alerts. We bring awareness to potential risks that could impede on the pharmacy profession. They are often sent reactively, from trends and incident reports conducted by PDL and other influencing bodies, in a bid to help our members avoid an incident. They can be national alerts or state-specific if connected to local legislation.

A wide range of guides and resources are also available to PDL members that have been developed to support pharmacists in their daily practice. 

Featured Articles

Practice alert incident 101 2

Incident reporting 101

Pharmacists are at the forefront of patient care, ensuring the safe and effective use of medications. Despite pharmacists best efforts, incidents can result in complaints, even if there is minimal impact on the patient and immediate resolution has occurred. This

My Health Record insights from Meridian Lawyers website image

My Health Record insights from Meridian Lawyers

PDL Professional Officers occasionally receive incident reports and notifications relating to breaches or concerns regarding access to a patient’s My Health Record. Some of these cases require responses to the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) and/or the Office of the

Recognising when a pharmacist needs support webiste image 1

Recognising when a pharmacist needs support

PDL Professional Officers continue to receive enquiries and incident reports that have contributing factors such as pressure, stress, workload or fatigue. PDL recognises the high demands placed on community and hospital pharmacists including interns, pharmacy owners and other staff members

image option 1

The art of saying sorry

Meridian Lawyers issue state and territory-specific guides It’s OK to say sorry. Pharmacists are human beings and fallible, so despite their best efforts, adverse events and mistakes can still occur. A key component of managing an incident is offering a

Legislation, National, Practice Alerts

Salbutamol supply changes from 1 October

PDL has spoken with many pharmacists impacted by the changes to S3 supply requirements for salbutamol inhalers made by TGA earlier this year. These changes created difficulties for pharmacists and...

Dispensing, National, Practice Alerts, Risk Management

No half doses in pharmacy ownership

A reminder to pharmacy proprietors of their key responsibilities Meridian Lawyers regularly assists a range of healthcare professionals to understand the legal and professional obligations that...

Declining Supply, Dispensing, National, Practice Alerts

Incidents involving drugs of dependence

The PDL Professional Officers often see incident reports or regulatory notifications involving high risk medications such as S8 items and benzodiazepines. These incidents can involve incorrect...

NSW, Practice Alerts, Vaccination

Vaccination audits in NSW

NSW Health has commenced vaccination audits in community pharmacies to ensure they comply with all procedures necessary to safely vaccinate the public. If areas of non-compliance are identified, it...

National, Practice Alerts, Privacy and Consent

What do I do if there is an accidental breach of my patient’s privacy?

Advice for health practitioners and organisations It is trite advice to Australian health practitioners to say that they must exercise caution when dealing with their patients’ sensitive health...

Dispensing, National, Practice Alerts

Common causes of incidents leading to harm or complaint

PREDNISOLONE Prednisolone is overrepresented in incident reports to PDL for a variety of reasons. Errors often occur when the 5 mg and 25 mg strengths are mixed up, which can result in under...

1 13 14 15 16 17 20

The market-leading cover for Australian pharmacists, chosen by over 31,000 members.