Dr Lisa Martin^1,2,3,7, Miss Karis Butler², Ms Siobhan Connolly^4,7, Ms Jackie Beaumont^5,7, Dr Bronwyn Griffin^6,7, Dr Helen Douglas^3,7, Professor Fiona Wood^3,7, Dr Jeremy Rawlins^3,7, All members of the ANZBA Prevention Committee²

Abstract

Patients with a burn present to community pharmacies for a variety of reasons and are often reluctant to attend an Emergency Department or a General Practitioner for care. Pharmacists can find it difficult to persuade these patients that a higher level of medical care is required. In addition, pharmacists may lack training and practice in burn assessment, whether to treat or refer, and what advice to give to patients. Patients who delay seeking medical treatment are likely to have poorer outcomes, possibly due to lack of suitable antimicrobial dressings or delays to surgery.

For registration, pharmacists must complete 20 hours of continuous professional development annually.  Their professional body in Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, publishes educational articles for accrual of CPD points in their academic journal, Australian Pharmacist. The ANZBA prevention committee identified the opportunity to connect with pharmacists to educate and empower them in the management of burn patients presenting to the community pharmacy.

This presentation details the pathway from conception to publication of “Assessing Burns in the Community Pharmacy”; a CPD educational article published in Australian Pharmacist in April 2019.

Biography

Lisa is a research fellow who has worked in burns research for the past ten years. Her nursing background was in critical care, followed by clinical trials and research nursing in general medicine and cardiology. She has recently completed a PhD in psychological recovery after adult burn and currently has secured funding for post-doctoral work to continue her work in this area.  She has a strong interest in burn prevention and is an active member of the ANZBA prevention committee.