The Using Medicines for Better Health Project

The Using Medicines for Better Health Project is a national project funded under the Australian Government’s Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) Program. The program brings together a collaborative network of peak consumer, health professional and research organisations known as the Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Alliance (see further information about the QUM Alliance below).

The project supports the development of free educational activities and resources for a national audience of both health professionals and consumers. These resources aim to improve health literacy, support shared decision-making and promote the safer use of medicines across Australia. Topics covered under the program focus on areas where consumers often experience problems with medicines quality and safety.

The Grants – Consumer Health Literacy and Health Professional Education

The QUM Alliance has received two rounds of grant funding under the QUDTP Program between 2023 and 2027. The project is delivered through two complementary grants:

• The Consumer Health Literacy Grant, led by the Health Care Consumers’ Association (HCCA), ensures consumers’ needs and perspectives are reflected in the resources developed for both consumers and health professionals.

Consumer Health Literacy resources can be found on this site at: QUM Website: Using Medicines for Better Health (qum.hcca.org.au)

• The Health Professional Education Grant, led by Medcast Pty Ltd uses evidence-based approaches to create a wide range of interactive learning activities and resources for health professionals.

Health Professional Education resources can be found at: QHUB: quality use of medicines education and resources (medcast.com.au)

Together, these grants support the development and promotion of high-quality education that is clear, relevant and accessible to both health professionals and consumers.

Our Areas of Focus

The first round of grants, running from September 2023 to August 2025, focus on quality use of medicines for:

• Atopic dermatitis (Eczema)
• Gout
• Antidepressants in older people, and
• Oral anticoagulants.

The second round of grants, running from January 2025 to December 2027, focus on quality use of medicines for:

• Antidepressants in young people
• Menopause
• Stroke prevention (preventing secondary strokes)
• Osteoporosis (secondary fracture prevention)
• Managing multiple chronic conditions for older Australians.

Celebrating Our Collective Impact on Eczema Care

As part of the first grant, members of the QUM Alliance co-designed new resources to support people living with eczema. These were developed in partnership with people with lived experience to ensure the information is practical, relevant and easy to understand.

The video below celebrates this collaborative effort across both the consumer and health professional education grants. It highlights the power of co-design and the value of centering consumer perspectives in creating meaningful, evidence-based resources that equip patients, carers and health professionals to better manage eczema.

The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance

The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance (QUM Alliance) is a collaborative network of peak consumer, health professional and research organisations. Since its formation in 2023, it has grown from 8 to 16 organisations, broadening the opportunity to have a collective impact on medicines use.

The QUM Alliance brings together unique expertise from: 

• education providers,
• consumer groups,
• researchers,
• health professional colleges,
• peak bodies, and
• member organisations.

The QUM Alliance consists of:

Founding 8 member organisations:

• Medcast: a nationwide provider of independent education for a range of health professions
• Health Care Consumers’ Association: a peak health consumer organisation working to improve the quality and safety of health care
• Arthritis Australia: the leading national arthritis charity supporting people living with all types of arthritis
• Eczema Support Australia: a national support network advocating for people living with eczema
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia: the national peak professional pharmacy body representing Australia’s 36,000 pharmacists across all sectors and specialisations
• QUM Connect: a specialist consultancy with experience and expertise in creating and implementing quality use of medicines initiatives to improve health outcomes
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners: Australia’s largest professional general practice organisation responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice
• Wiser Healthcare: a research collaboration involving the University of Sydney, Bond University, Monash University and the University of Wollongong, with a special interest in research in the areas of rational test ordering and quality use of medicines.

Additional member organisations from March 2025:

• Black Dog Institute: not-for-profit globally renowned mental health research institute that investigates mental health across the lifespan—from childhood to adulthood.
• Jean Hailes for Women’s Health: a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving women’s health across Australia through every life stage.
• Stroke Foundation: a national charity that partners with the community to prevent stroke, save lives and enhance recovery.
• Health Bones Australia: a national non-for-profit organisation and the leading consumer body to reduce broken bones and improve bone health across Australia.
• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NAACHO): the national peak body representing 146 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) across Australia. Dedicated to supporting culturally informed, community-led healthcare, empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to lead healthier, stronger lives.
• Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA): the peak professional body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting in Australia.
• Carers Australia:  the national peak body representing Australia’s unpaid carers, advocating on their behalf to influence policies and services at a national level.
• Sydney Health Literacy Lab: a research group within the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health which aims to give all people the opportunity to have the best health outcomes for themselves and their families.