HCCA creates a new home for quality use of medicines information for consumers

12 August 2024

HCCA has launched a new Consumer Hub website that has quality information for consumers about safe and wise use of medicines. This is a key part of our 2-year Using Medicines for Better Health Project, funded by the Australian Government through the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Program. The project aims to improve consumer health literacy about safe use of medicines.

We are working on developing high quality, accessible consumer health information for the following health issues:

Eczema (or Atopic Dermatitis)
Gout
Antidepressants in Older People
Oral Anticoagulants (blood thinners)

Managing Eczema

The initial focus of the project has been on eczema. Eczema affects approximately 2.8 million Australians, including 1 in 3 children aged under 6yrs. Managing eczema can be a significant challenge, and it can have a serious impact on the quality of life and mental well-being for both consumers and their carers. Eczema also has a financial cost; in Australia it is estimated to cost the healthcare system more than $593 million in 2019-2020¹.

A key issue for consumers and carers managing eczema is inconsistent advice. This leads to confusion about what is the right way to treat eczema. When it is difficult to navigate the eczema treatment maze, it can be tempting to try less reliable sources of information for advice, such as social media.

Clear and reliable health information about eczema for consumers and carers is being produced through the Using Medicines for Better Health Project. This includes the:

These resources (plus others we are working on) will help improve understanding about eczema and how to treat it. It will also help improve communication between consumers and health professionals about eczema treatment.

Quality Use of Medicines Alliance

The release of the Consumer Hub website is a significant milestone for the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance. The Alliance is a consortium led by the Health Care Consumers Association and Medcast. Our work is funded by the Australian Government through the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Program.

The Alliance is an important quality use of medicines initiative for both health professionals and consumers, particularly since the discontinuation of NPS MedicineWise in 2022.

Co-design

The Using Medicines for Better Health Project being delivered by HCCA as part of the QUM Alliance, brings together quality use of medicines expertise, researchers, education providers, colleges, peak bodies and consumer groups. This collaborative approach includes both consumer and healthcare professional perspectives at every stage of development.

Darlene Cox, Executive Director at Health Care Consumers Association, highlighted the program’s co-design principles and said: ‘This program exemplifies co-design in action, with consumers and healthcare professionals collaborating to design, develop, and deliver evidence-based resources to improve health outcomes for consumers and carers’.

Over the course of the Using Medicines for Better Health Project, HCCA, along with the QUM Alliance, will develop resources for consumers for eczema, gout, use of antidepressants in older people, and use of anticoagulants. Our work together with Medcast and the other members of the QUM Alliance will help address quality use of medicines challenges for consumers, alongside concurrent health professional education.

For further information, please contact:
Kathryn Briant
Quality Use of Medicines Project Manager, HCCA

Reference:

¹https://www.eczemasupport.org.au/national-strategy/ 

See our HCCA project page for more information on the Using Medicines for Better Health Project and the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance. You can also leave your details on the form in the project page to register for future updates on this work.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

Darlene Cox
Ph: 02 6230 7800
Email: adminofficer@hcca.org.au

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