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GC2018 call for
healthcare volunteers
More than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories will gather on the Gold Coast from 4–15
April 2018 to share in the excitement of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (GC2018), and the organisers need pharmacists and other healthcare professionals for the medical team.
GC2018 will be the largest event to be staged in Australia this decade, putting the Gold Coast and Queensland on the world sporting stage. It will feature the largest integrated sports program in Commonwealth Games history, comprising 18 sports and seven para-sports.
A team of medical and health professionals is required to deliver safe, appropriate healthcare for athletes, officials, workers and spectators throughout the Games period.
GC2018 Pharmacy working group member Debbie Rigby FPS told Australian Pharmacist that she had been privileged to volunteer as a pharmacist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.
‘Working at the Polyclinic pharmacy at the Athlete’s Village, I worked closely with other healthcare professionals to provide the best possible pharmaceutical care – it was an excellent example of what you can achieve with integrated, multidisciplinary care.
‘For me, it was a great opportunity to learn more about medication use and anti-doping in sports and to increase my knowledge and skills. I took away so much more from the experience than I ever imagined – if you have the opportunity to be involved, I would say go for it. It will be an experience and an opportunity that you will never regret.
The GC2018 organisers are encouraging medical and healthcare professionals, including administrative and team support officers, to volunteer their skills
to be part of Queensland’s biggest ever sporting event. The Commonwealth Games will provide a wide range of opportunities to build networks and develop sports and emergency medicine skills.
They have invited pharmacists to join the team by pre-registering their interest as a medical volunteer at: www.gc2018.com/take-part/volunteering. Additional information is available at: medical@goldoc.com.
IBUPROFEN MAY REDUCE LUNG
CANCER RISK
Regular use of ibuprofen may lower the risk of lung cancer among those with a history of cigarette smoking, according to research presented at the IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Vienna, Austria last month.
It has been established that chronic inflammation appears to increase the risk of lung cancer, and medicines that reduce inflammation have been shown to reduce this risk. However, few prospective studies have examined associations between lung cancer and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
To test whether a common NSAID could reduce the risk of lung cancer, Dr Marisa Bittoni and her colleagues from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, examined data from 10,735 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES III.
Baseline data on smoking, NSAIDs and other lifestyle variables were collected for participants starting in 1988–94, and cause-specific mortality status was ascertained through probabilistic record matching using the National Death Index through 2006.
Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) to quantify associations between NSAID use and lung cancer death, with adjustment for current smoking and other variables.
Over the 18 years of follow-up, 269 individuals died from lung cancer, of whom 252 (93.6%) reported a history of cigarette smoking. Since all but 17 of the 269 fatal lung cancer cases occurred among current or former smokers, estimates of NSAID effects were ascertained from a sub-cohort of 5,882 individuals who reported a history of past or current cigarette smoking.
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Australian Pharmacist January 2017 I ©Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Ltd.
FACE-TO-FACE SUNDAY LEARNING SEMINAR
To enhance the learning experience
and maximise the return for attending face-to-face CPD sessions, PSA is introducing a new model of Sunday Learning Seminar
in Victoria. This involves lectures with a
high level of interaction from medical and pharmacy specialists on the subject matter, followed by a series of small group hands on sessions focusing on practical tips and tools.
The first Sunday Learning Seminar in Victoria, on 12 February at Parkville, is on Rheumatology. Participants will attend a number of lectures covering updates and controversies, and clinical pharmacology
in Rheumatology, followed by three breakout sessions on the Psychology of pain, the Victorian Osteoarthritis model of care, and Pharmacists improving outcomes in rheumatology.
This is an enjoyable and relevant learning experience that offers clinical knowledge together with practical skills that will support and grow your practice.
uFor details and registration visit the PSA website: www.psa.org.au or contact marina.hanna@psa.org.au.