Couzos, Sophie, Smith, Deb, and Biros, Erik (2020) Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) to improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC) Project. External Commissioned Report. Australian Government, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

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Abstract

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases are particularly prone to medication-related problems and associated health complications. The Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) to improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC) trial demonstrated that integrating a registered pharmacist as part of the primary health care (PHC) team within ACCHSs led to significant improvements in health outcomes, access to medication-related services, and the quality of the care received by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults with chronic diseases.

• The IPAC trial found relatively low costs to be associated with increases in the utilisation of medications and primary health care services. The observed improvement in biomedical indices is expected to be associated with a reduction in the utilisation and corresponding costs of other government funded health services including emergency department presentations and hospital admissions.

• This proposal recommends funding for the Australia-wide integration of registered pharmacists within ACCHS settings (the proposed service) given that these settings facilitate unique, accessible,culturally safe and holistic care provision to people who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (proposed population), implementation of such a program would lead to significant benefits from improvements in biomedical and pharmacological indices such as better glycaemic control of those with diabetes, improvements in the control of cardiovascular disease risk factors, slowing of decline in kidney function, marked improvements in prescribing quality with the reduction in inappropriate prescribing and medication underutilisation, markedly improved access to medication management reviews (such as Home Medicines Review and other types of review), and improvements in patient adherence to medications, as well as their self-assessed health status.

• The IPAC Trial was the largest clinical, non-randomised, interventional study conducted to date to investigate the impact of integrated pharmacists with regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults with chronic diseases. The Trial was supported by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), in conjunction with James Cook University (JCU) undertaking the evaluation.

Item ID:	87028
Item Type:	Report (External Commissioned Report)
Keywords:	Medication adherence, pharmacy, pharmacists, Aboriginal community controlled health services, medication access, quality use of medicines, chronic disease, diabetes
Copyright Information:	© James Cook University 2020 © Commonwealth of Australia 2020
Additional Information:	The suggested citation for this document is: Couzos S, Smith D, Biros E. (2020). Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) to improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC) Project. MSAC Application Number 1678, Assessment Report. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, ACT. This report is publicly available at the following website: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/integrating-practice-pharmacists-into-aboriginal-community-controlled-health-services-final-report
Funders:	Australian Government
Projects and Grants:	Pharmacy Trials Program
Date Deposited:	02 Oct 2025 00:55
FoR Codes:	42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4203 Health services and systems > 420319 Primary health care @ 50% 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences > 321403 Clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice @ 50%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200105 Treatment of human diseases and conditions @ 50% 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200102 Efficacy of medications @ 50%
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