Kristin chats to Professor David Kissane about psycho-existential symptoms in Palliative Care. David is a consultant psychiatrist in psycho-oncology and palliative care at Monash Health and the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University. We talk about: the current state of palliative care in Australia why patients are are often scared of commencing palliative care Differences in palliative care patient experience in the context of oncology An exploration of the terms psycho-oncology and the existential approach the role of pharmacotherapy in psycho-oncology

Today we talk all things oral health with Mark Schifter with a particular focus on Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) and antibiotic use in dentistry 

We welcome back Simon Lewis, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, who talks to Kristin about dementia. They discuss the multiple types of dementia, as well as established and new treatment options. You can learn more about Prof Lewis and his research at his website

Jane talks to Karlee Johnston, a pharmacist and PhD candidate at the Australian National University in Canberra. We talk about Karlee’s recently published paper: Burnout and the challenges facing pharmacists during COVID‑19: results of a national survey (International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-021-01268-5) Keep an eye out for the repeat survey through our social media channels and your professional organisation. If this episode raises any issues for you or someone that you care about, contact: Pharmacists Support Services: https://www.supportforpharmacists.org.au/ Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Kristin spoke with Dr Eli Dabscheck and Dr Johnson George about all things Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) including: Risk factors  Management Exacerbations of COPD and the issues around the appropriate use of antimicrobials in this situation  The Therapeutic Guidelines and COPD-X Guideline recommendations Asthma and COPD overlap  The benefits of medication reviews and COPD action plans 

Kristin and Dan caught up with Associate Professor Vincent Lee for a discussion on all things Chronic Kidney Disease.   You can visit Vincent’s Uni website here

Dan and Jane spoke to Dr Amy Bohren about recruitment for early career graduates. Amy is the Principal Consultant and Director of Red Careers Australia. We asked Amy for some tips to help interns and early career pharmacists navigate the recruitment process. We discussed: Where to look for your dream job Whether you should directly call an employer about a job? How long an application letter and CV should be Tips for a successful interview Our favourite fonts (!) If you’d like to contact Amy for some more advice or access the articles we discussed, you can contact her via https://redcareersaustralia.com/. You can mention the podcast for a special rate.

In our second episode for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020, Dan and Kristin spoke to Dr Brendan McMullan. Brendan is a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist and Microbiologist, working at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and a Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Women’s and Children’s Health at UNSW. We discuss: the reasons why choice of antimicrobial can be different for children special considerations for paediatric antimicrobial use why kids get more infections than adults strategies for explaining a decision not to prescribe an antimicrobial how Kristin ruined her kindergarten Christmas play

In a bumper episode for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020, Jane and Kristin spoke to Tony Lai. Tony is the Senior Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. Here’s a list of the medicines that Tony discussed (and Jane and Kristin struggled to pronounce): cefidericol eravacycline rezafungin ibrexafungerp MAT2203 (Oral Ambisome)

Kristin and Dan chat with Prof Pablo Fernandez-Peñas about all things Dermatology. Pablo is Head of the Department of Dermatology at Westmead Hospital in Sydney and Professor in Dermatology at Sydney Medical School (The University of Sydney). We went back to basics in this episode to understand the basis for prescribing topical products in common dermatological conditions. We also discussed the old chestnut about using steroid creams “sparingly” and why an expensive product won’t necessarily give you a better outcome.

Kristin catches with up Prof Simon Finfer, intensive care clinician and researcher and professor at The George Institute. They discuss all things sepsis, from identifying sepsis, early management, complications and new research being undertaken.

It’s World Mental Health Day. Dan and Kristin caught up with Dr Mark Cross, Psychiatrist and author. They discuss a range of mental health topics: changes in mental health literacy at a population level the mental health of health professionals mental health and well being in challenging times best practice prescribing of psychotropic medicines You can read more about Mark’s work and his new book on the SANE Australia website.

Kristin is joined by Simon Lewis, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney to discuss Parkinson’s Disease. We find out about: The link between COVID-19, Parkinson’s disease and your sense of smell  Risk factors and causes of Parkinson’s disease Non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease Therapeutic options for Parkinson’s disease Potential future therapies on their way

Kristin and Dan caught up with Alicia Martin, author of the recent paper Gender balance in pharmacy leadership: Are we making progress?. We discuss Alicia’s findings and how well Australian pharmacy organisations are doing at representing women in leadership positions. Alicia’s paper on Science Direct Follow Alicia on twitter

Kristin and Dan spoke to Professor Steve Vucic about Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Steve is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Director of Neurophysiology and Consultant Neurologist at Westmead Hospital in Sydney. We spoke about the basics of MND, current treatments and what the future may hold. You can learn more about Steve’s work here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/steve-vucic.html

Kristin spoke to Dr Natasha Andreadis AKA the “Fanny Mechanic” a Integrative Fertility Specialist Gynaecologist Health Coach about all things In vitro fertilisation

In another best-of collection to celebrate our 100th episode, here are Kristin's Top Five favourite episodes: Episode 65 - Surgery in the Victorian Era with Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Author of "The Butchering Art" Episode 83 - The Unexpected when you're Expecting with Dr Nisha Khot  Episode 72 - Is your postcode making you sick? The Australian Atlas of Health Variation - with Professor Anne Duggan & Meredith Page Episode 93 - Ophthalmic Emergencies with Dr Tanya Karaconji Episode 73 - Faecal Microbiota Transplants with Dr Sam Costello  

In another best-of collection to celebrate our 100th episode, here are Jane’s Top Five favourite episodes: Episode 64: Are We Wasting Our Patient’s Time? with Brian Dolan Episode 20: Heart Failure with Rochelle Gellatly Episode 59: Interventions to Improve Analgesic Prescribing with Jenny Stephens Episode 80: Peri-operative medicines management with Tanya Selak Episode 99: National Reconciliation Week with Chastina Heck and Aleena Williams

To celebrate our 100th episode, we’re bringing you some highlights packages. First up is a recap of our five most downloaded episodes: Episode 1: Antibiotic Allergies with Jason Trubiano (with an update for Episode 50) Episode 45: Why tramadol sucks with David Juurlink Episode 49: Cardiovascular Therapeutic Guidelines update with Jane O’Connor and Dan Scherer Episodes 55 and 56: Antibiotic pharmacokinetics with Jason Roberts Episode 70: Haematology Basics with Ian Bilmon

In an episode to mark National Reconciliation week, Dan and Kristin spoke to Chastina Heck and Aleena Williams. Chastina is a clinical pharmacist at Logan Hospital and an Associate Lecturer at the University of Queensland. Aleena is the Director of Immunisations at the Northern Territory Public Health Directorate. Chas and Aleena are both proud Aboriginal women and pharmacists. In this episode, they share their personal and professional stories with us. National Reconciliation Week is from May 27 to June 3 2020. You can learn more here.

Kristin flies solo this week to talk to Dr Lisa Kouladjian O'Donnell, a consultant pharmacist and postdoctoral research associate affiliated with the NHMRC Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre, The University of Sydney, and the Kolling Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW. Kristin and Lisa discuss: definitions of polypharmacy and deprescribing drivers of polypharmacy at-risk populations a collaborative approach to deprescribing the Drug Burden Index (DBI) calculator You can read more about Lisa’s work here. The Goal-directed Medication review Electronic Decision Support System (G-MEDSS) is here.

Kristin & Dan spoke to Prof Ramon Shaban, Clinical Chair of Infection Prevention and Disease Control, University of Sydney and Western Sydney Local Health District   We covered Australia’s interventions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 Testing of COVID-19, including the difference between antibodies, antigens & PCR testing. Are false negatives an issue? The challenges of doing a good swab Asymptomatic spread and how significant it is in Australia Face masks, how they should be used and the basics of transmission What we know so far about reinfection and vaccination for COVID-19

Dan caught up with Mel Ankravs, chair of the SHPA Critical Care Leadership Group and Senior Pharmacist at the Royal Melbourne for a brief chat about the basics to caring for COVID-19 patients in the ICU.   We couldn’t cover everything in this episode, but Mel recommends these resources for a deeper dive: National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce - an Australian repository of evidence for the management of COVID-19 Introduction to Critical Care: A COVID-19 Rapid Response document - a bigger introduction from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society  

Kristin and Dan spoke to Professor Mary-Louise McLaws from the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine. Professor McLaws is a renowned infection control expert with extensive experience in novel viruses such as SARS.  She is also an expert on pandemics and outbreak investigations. We covered: • Why do novel virus cause so much concern compared to known entities such as the flu? • How does COVID-19 compare to influenza or SARS? • The finer points of quarantine • An overview of surgical vs N95 masks and what is appropriate for COVID-19 • The treatments (remdesivir, chloroquine & angiotensin II receptor antagonists) for COVID-19 and when we can expect a vaccine for prevention 

Kristin and Jane spoke to Professor Alex Broom from the University of Sydney. Alex is Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy.  We asked Alex: What is sociology, and how does it apply to studies of healthcare and illness? How are principles of sociology particularly relevant to addressing rising antimicrobial resistance? What effect does organisational culture have on the use of antimicrobials? How can sociology principles be used as a stewardship tool? You can read more about Alex’s work on his University of Sydney Researcher Page.

WE’RE BACK! Happy 2020 to all our listeners! Today Kristin and Dan are joined by Dr Tanya Karaconji, Ophthalmologist at Sydney Eye Hospital, where we discuss a number of topics related to eye emergencies. We discuss: Red flags for selling chloramphenicol Eye drops made of swimming pool tablets How damaging one eye can make you lose both Intravitreal injections and culturing the eye jelly Hourly eye drops for keratitis

In the last of our episodes from MM2019, we spoke to the 2019 SHPA Medal of Merit winner, Tom Simpson. Tom is the Executive Director for statewide hospital pharmacy in Tasmania. He gave us a recap of his excellent oration, based around five pieces of advice for his younger self. You can read more about Tom and the SHPA Medal of Merit here

Jane and Kristin caught up with Sir Harry Burns at MM2019 to discuss what are some of the social causes of wellness. Sir Harry is Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde, a surgeon and one of the world’s leaders in addressing global health inequality

Recorded live at MM2019, Dan, Kristin and special guest host Viv Banks chat to some more poster presenters about their work. Visit purplepenpodcast.com for links to the poster abstracts.

In the first of our episodes live from the SHPA Medicines Management 2019 conference, Jane and Kristin asked some poster presenters to talk about their work. Visit purplepenpodcast.com for links to the poster abstracts.

Dan and Kristin are joined by Dr Rose Cairns from the University of Sydney and the NSW Poison’s Information centre to discuss the latest trends in codeine usage. Dr Cairns’ research shows us that since codeine up-scheduled, less codeine overall is being used, patients do not seem to be switching to higher strength codeine products and opioid poisonings are down. We also discuss whether there has been a switch to other prescription opioids, illicit opioids and the public perceptions of over the counter codeine.

In this episode, Dan and Kristin are joined by Professor Andrew Wilson, chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. We discuss: What the PBAC does How it makes decisions on which drugs to recommend for subsidy How decisions are made in difficult situations, for example with new drugs with very little long term information, or where prices are exceptionally high The PBAC is an independent expert body appointed by the Australian Government. Members include doctors, health professionals, health economists and consumer representatives. You can find out more about the work of the PBAC here If you are interested in learning more about QALY’s, Alwyn Smith’s 1987 article “Qualms about QALYs” is an interesting place to start.

Jane and Kristin are joined by Nat Tasker and Duncan McKenzie from the SHPA’s Medicines Management 2019 conference committee. We discuss highlights, include key plenaries, highlights, workshops and the gala dinner theme! SHPA Medicines Management 2019 will be held from 14-16 November on the Gold Coast. Visit the MM2019 website to view the program and register now! (Sorry for Duncan’s audio freaking out around 10 minutes in!)

Jane and Kristin spoke to Dr Bec Szabo, a gynaecologist at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne. Topics covered in this episode: the impact of screening and HPV vaccination on the rate of cervical cancer in Australia the complex factors that impact on willingness and comfort discussing women’s health common myths and misconceptions around women’s health what the future might hold for greater diversity in healthcare leadership whether discussion about Eurovision is a valid method of contraception

Kristin and Dan caught up with Lauren Cortis, pharmacist and PhD candidate to talk about generalism, specialisation and how these interact with patients needing better care.   We discuss: The risks of specialisation to patient care, and how patients need generalists as much as specialists Why pharmacists specialise and how we can think about the future of pharmacy Why all pharmacists should work towards being better generalists  Why specialisation can cause problems for patients with cancer or chronic disease  How generalist care isn’t just adding together different specialists  How ‘generalist’ as a word has negative connotations and how generalism is undervalued Visit Lauren’s Blog to read more of her insightful thoughts

  In today's episode, Kristin and Dan are joined by Dr Nisha Khot, obstetrician, educator and RANZCOG counsellor to discuss these common and potentially serious conditions in pregnancy. We discuss: How we define and diagnose gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, and the newer category of HELLP syndrome How pregnant womens present with these conditions - typical diagnosis, and new biomarkers Risks factors for these conditions Treatment and prevention options, including the role of aspirin and calcium supplementation Our treatment choices for controlling hypertension in pregnancy Links from this episode: Nisha’s twitter profile The Society of Obstetric Medicines of Australian and NZ’s Guideline for the Management of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Other guidelines from SOMANZ Summary and Full Text of the MAGPIE trial - demonstrating the benefit of magnesium sulphate in pre-eclampsia And! Remember that Early Bird Registration for Medicines Management 2019 closes on the 16th of September - not long to go! Register now and save up to $500!

In a special episode of the Purple Pen Podcast, Jane shares the story of her career journey. Originally presented at the 2018 SHPA Medicines Management Conference, Jane was invited to share her story again at Monash University which is where this episode was recorded. More information about the SHPA mentoring program is available here. Information about the Pharmacist Support Service is available here.

Kristin and Dan were joined by Toni Howell, Medication Safety pharmacist from St V’s in Melbourne, and Chair of the SHPA Specialty Practice Leadership Group in Med Safety. We had a really enjoyable chat, covering lots of topics, including: A day in the life of a med safety pharmacist The benefits of joining your SHPA Specialty practice group Handling of medicines The importance of managing risk Pros and Cons of Electronic medication management How medication safety is everyone’s job and crowd-sourcing patient care Bad handwriting (Doctors AND pharmacists) Nudging people to identify more med safety A reminder! If you are an SHPA member you can join a a Specialty Practice Interest Group. And practice group members are eligible to stand for election to the Leadership Committee.

Jane and Dan caught up with Dr Tanya Selak, anaesthetist, Tweeter and co-host of the MedEd StuffNNonsense podcast. We chat about silos and building good relationships in hospitals, common issues managing medicines in the peri-operative period and shortages, ah shortages… You can follow Tanya on Twitter here and check out the MedEd StuffNNonsense podcast here and here.

In a special episode of the podcast, Dan caught up with Sejla and Rustie from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) about strategies for preventing and reducing harm from prescription medicines. Sejla and Rustie have some great practical and personal insights to share. The resources that we discussed are available here: SafeScript (Victoria) training and information ADF Drug Facts

Dan and Kristin welcomed Cia Connell back to the podcast to tell us about some recent publications to guide management of atrial fibrillation. Cia is a clinical manger with the Heart Foundation and a specialist cardiology pharmacist. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, from the basics of rate vs rhythm control to the most recent international guidelines. You can read more here: The AUGUSTUS trial The CABANA trial National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand: Australian Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation 2018 The Apple Heart Study If you’re a cardiology nerd like Cia and Dan, you should check out some of our other episodes: Episode 3: New anticoagulants with Cia Connell Episode 15: Controversies about lipid-lowering therapies with Dr Rochelle Gellatly Episode 20: Heart failure with Dr Rochelle Gellatly Episode 41: Hot topics in cardiology with Garth Birdsey Episode 49: Therapeutic Guidelines: Cardiovascular version 7

  This episode we celebrate the release of the new Therapeutic Guidelines - Antibiotic! Jane and Kristin are joined by Senior Editor Jess Gibney and Dr Emily Tucker, ID Physician from Flinders Medical Centre to discuss what’s new and what’s changed. Things we learnt include: How to say Happy Easter in Greek How Therapeutics Guidelines put its expert groups together The process of updating guidelines Why TG is no longer being published in hard copy Changes to surgical prophylaxis recommendations The new inclusion of intravenous Amoxicillin/Clavulanate as a treatment option, and the behind the scenes discussion around the use of this agent, including dosing controversies New advice for Ceftriaxone dosage The choice to expand advice around “watching and waiting” and when NOT to use antibiotics A new approach to the classification of community acquired pneumonia Significant changes to advice around antibiotic allergies (side chains!) Some challenges in updating the paediatric section of the Guidelines Visit the Therapeutic Guidelines at http://www.tg.org.au

Kristin and Jane are joined by Professor Jonathan Iredell, ID and Microbiology Consultant at Westmead and Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Sydney Medical School. We discuss: What is a bacteriophage? How can they help in a battle against antimicrobial resistance? How do we use them? What’s the dose and route of administration? Which infections can they be used for? How can they be regulated? What adverse effects can we expect from phage therapy? Further reading: The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug : A Memoir by Stephanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson, available at the Book Depository Professor Iredell’s research page at Sydney Uni A review of phage therapy published this year by Patey and colleagues (Full text available)

Jane and Kristin spoke to David Ellis, a senior specialist pharmacist and team leader for non-sterile production at the Women's and Children's hospital in Adelaide. He's also a contributor to the Australian Don't Rush to Crush Handbook. We spoke to David about the newest edition of Don't Rush to Crush. Monographs now contain information on the best way to give a dose that is less than a whole tablet or capsule. David talks us through the development of the new information and common pitfalls in giving a partial oral dose. This episode is brought to you by two upcoming conferences: The Alcohol and Drug Foundation 2019 National Prevention in Practice Conference (Melbourne, June 24th and 25th) https://adf.org.au/conference/ The SHPA 2019 Electronic Medication Management Conference (Sydney, June 22nd and 23rd) https://shpa.eventsair.com/emm-conference/   

Jane and Kristin spoke to Dr Sam Costello, a gastroenterologist from South Australia about Faecal Microbiota Transplants - more loosely known as "poo transplants". It's a fascinating discussion about the practicalities around screening donors, administration of FMT and the emerging evidence for this treatment.

Kristin and Jane caught up with Professor Anne Duggan, a gastroenterologist, and Meredith Page, a pharmacist, who work at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care  We spoke about:   What is healthcare variation and why do we measure it? Is variation necessarily a bad thing? How does Australia compare internationally with what is measured in our Atlas, for example medication us or surgery? How measuring healthcare variation can be used to enact change  Find out more about the Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation

f you found any of the topics discussed in this episode distressing, you can reach out for confidential advice to Pharmacists Support Service at supportforpharmacists.org.au or on 1300 244 910. Our medical colleagues can visit the Australasian Doctors’ Health Network - adhn.org.au Dan and Jane are joined by Dr Ash Witt, a Physician trainee to discuss the issue of wellbeing in the medical workforce. We discuss: How the current system lets down junior doctors What a typical career path for a junior doctor looks like The brave and moving blog post by Dr Yumiko - “The Ugly Side of Becoming a Surgeon” Rostering, overtime and nightshifts How to choose a coffee! We are indebted to Ash for her bravery in speaking out on these key issues. Follow her on twitter: @dr_ashwitt - please be sure to thank her if you enjoyed the episode.