NPS MedicineWise Podcasts

In this special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Jill Thistlethwaite talks with Dr Hester Wilson, a GP and addiction medicine specialist, and Ms Leah Dwyer, a member of Painaustralia’s Consumer Advisory Group, about the risk of tolerance, dependence and overdose with opioids for chronic noncancer pain. This podcast was developed with funding from...

In this episode NPS MedicineWise CEO Steve Morris interviews Leanne Wells, CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) following the recent CHF Summit - Australasia’s inaugural consumer health summit. They discuss what health organisations and health professionals need to do fundamentally to move towards truly consumer-centred care, how we build equity in accessibility into digital enhanc...

In this special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast, Dr Jill Thistlethwaite talks with Dr Tania Gardner, senior physiotherapist with St Vincent's Hospital’s ‘Reboot Online’ Pain Management Program, and Ms Sarah Fowler, a member of Painaustralia’s Consumer Advisory Group, about the non-pharmacological treatment options for patients with chronic non-cancer pain. The discussion draws from Sarah’s...

In this episode, recorded on 17 February 2021, NPS MedicineWise CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris is joined by the head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Adj Prof John Skerritt to hear the latest information about COVID-19 vaccination in Australia, which is rolling out from this month. They discuss how the TGA makes decisions about which vaccines to approve in terms of both safety and effica...

In this episode Dr Anna Samecki talks with Theresa Flavin, who has been living with dementia for many years. Theresa gives a powerful insight into how it feels being on ‘the other side’ and offers a unique patient perspective on dementia and changed behaviour care.

After the closing address at the National Medicines Symposium 2020, Steve Morris chats with Prof Andrew McLachlan – Head of School and Dean of Pharmacy at the University of Sydney. They reflect on the symposium with the theme of Rising to the medication safety challenge, what 2020 has meant for the quality use of medicines and how COVID-19 has shown us what is possible.

In this episode NPS MedicineWise CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris catches up with Executive Director of the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce A/Prof Julian Elliott. They discuss how 2020 played out in terms of the top medicines that were touted as treatments for COVID-19, the emerging areas of evidence, and how clinicians on the ground have been applying the living guidelines.

In this special edition of the NPS MedicineWise podcast, Dr Jill Thistlethwaite talks with Associate Professor Michael Vagg, pain physician and Dean of the Faculty of Pain Medicine Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and Mr Don Firth, a member of Painaustralia’s Consumer Advisory Group, about the challenges involved in tapering opioids. They discuss the practical aspects of...

In this episode Dr Anna Samecki talks with accredited pharmacist Kara Joyce, who has been overseeing the new NPS MedicineWise program on Dementia and changed behaviours: a person-centred approach. They discuss the main issues facing aged care, specifically from a dementia and changed behaviours perspective, the impact of COVID-19 on this space, the importance of person-centred care, and what resou...

In this episode Steve Morris interviews Dr Robert Herkes, Chief Medical Officer with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and past Director of Intensive Care at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. They discuss the ways in which the Commission has been supporting clinicians during COVID-19 and touch on some of the important lessons learned as a result of the pandem...

In this episode Dr Anna Samecki talks with Melissa Black, a clinical psychologist from the Black Dog Institute. They discuss why it’s important for healthcare workers to proactively look after their own mental health, when to seek professional help, some simple ways to manage stress, and some of the resources available including The Essential Network (TEN), an e-health hub for healthcare workers....

In the early phase of the pandemic, cancer testing rates fell significantly. In this episode Steve Morris speaks with Professor Dororthy Keefe, CEO of Cancer Australia, about the rates of cancer testing during the pandemic and the potential follow-on effects of this. Further reading: Cancer Australia Website: canceraustralia.gov.au Cancer Won’t Wait Campaign: canceraustralia.gov.au/cancer-wont-wai...

In this episode Steve Morris talks to Greg Johnson, CEO of Diabetes Australia, about the biggest challenges facing people with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic, why diabetes is a ‘pandemic within a pandemic’, feedback from consumers about telehealth, and the importance of addressing mental health. Further reading Diabetes Australia: www.diabetesaustralia.com.au National Diabetes Services Sche...

In this episode NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Anna Samecki talks with Veronica Nou, a community pharmacist working in western Sydney and recipient of a 2020 NSW Humanitarian Award. This week (7-11 September 2020) is NSW Multicultural Health Week, with a focus on health literacy and the safe use of medicines. In this podcast, Anna and Veronica discuss some of the health issues experien...

In this episode NPS MedicineWise CEO Steve Morris is joined by Professor Michael Kidd AM, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Australian Government Department of Health. They discuss the role of the Department of Health’s National Incident Room and the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, the challenges of managing chronic disease during this pandemic - particularly in vulnerable populations,...

In this episode, Steve Morris speaks with Dr Simon Judkins, an emergency physician working in Victoria at one of the Choosing Wisely Australia Champion Health Service hospitals. They discuss how the Choosing Wisely principles, particularly around resource stewardship and the importance of conversations about what care is necessary, have been relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also look at...

There has been some recent buzz around vitamin D supplements and their role in preventing or even treating COVID-19. In this episode, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Anna Samecki talks to NPS MedicineWise senior clinical program officer and pharmacist Rawa Osman to discuss whether or not vitamin D supplements may protect people with COVID-19 from more serious health complications, possi...

In this episode, Steve Morris speaks with Chris Freeman, National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) about how pharmacists have responded and adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, navigated medicines access challenges and enabled continuity of care, and the importance of taking care of their own health and wellbeing. Further reading Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) information fo...

In this episode, NPS MedicineWise CEO Steve Morris speaks with the head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) John Skerritt about how the TGA is supporting clinicians and consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss some of the unique challenges the TGA has faced and the way it has adapted to these, along with innovations that should be continued beyond the pandemic period. Further...

In this episode, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Anna Samecki talks to Natalie Raffoul, clinical pharmacist and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Manager at the Heart Foundation about the link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and COVID-19.

Early results from the RECOVERY trial in the UK are showing that steroid medicine dexamethasone reduces death in hospitalised patients with severe respiratory complications of COVID-19. In this episode, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Anna Samecki talks to NPS MedicineWise senior clinical program officer and pharmacist Rawa Osman to take an initial look at what the preliminary results m...

Episode 5: Quality use of medicines and COVID-19 by NPS Medicinewise

In this episode, CEO of NPS MedicineWise Adj A/Prof Steve Morris talks with Executive Director of the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce A/Prof Julian Elliott. They discuss the role of the Clinical Evidence Taskforce during this pandemic, NPS MedicineWise joining the Taskforce as a partner, the role of living evidence and guidelines, and recent and upcoming clinical topics to be covered...

The advice from Australian health authorities around testing has been evolving as the COVID-19 situation evolves. And as with everything to do with COVID-19, even the available tests are new, with the data growing all the time. In this episode, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Anna Samecki interviews fellow medical adviser and GP Dr Jill Thistlethwaite about how clinicians can practice q...

Currently there are no approved medicines to treat COVID-19. However, there are several trials underway assessing the role of antiviral medicines, including remdesivir, in the treatment of COVID-19. In this episode, NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and GP Dr Anna Samecki talks with CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris about the latest evidence for remdesivir and what this might mean for treating COVID-19.