March 2018
The State of Self-Care in Australia is a landmark report from the Australian Health Policy Collaboration (AHPC). It reviews the ways Australia is attempting to encourage and empower peoplw to look after their own health and well-being.
October 2019
Researchers from the Graduate School of Health UTS have evaluated a consultation service for community pharmacists to triage, manage and appropriately refer patients to general practitioners (GPs) for minor ailments through agreed referral pathways for the first time in Australia.
The research was conducted between July 2018 and March 2019 and saw 894 patients recruited. The evaluation of the service demonstrated extremely positive results at both the patient and economic level, and the potential impact if the consultation service is implemented on a larger national scale.
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October 2014
This report assesses the potential for complementary medicines to play a bigger role in healthcare by quantifying the potential savings to government healthcare costs by the targeted use of complementary medicines.
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March 2014
The Centre for the Health Economy at Macquarie University conducted a study that put a value on self-medication and Self-Care. The study, The Value of OTC Medicines in Australia, was launched at a Reception in Parliament House, Canberra in March 2014. It found that non-prescription medicines currently save the Australian health economy $10.4 billion through avoided GP visits and productivity gains from reduced work absence and time savings in not having to visit the GP. This equates to a saving of four dollars for every one dollar spent on non-prescription medicines.
September 2009
Health economist, David L Gadiel of Health Care Intelligence Pty Ltd, examined the potential economic impact of minor ailments being treated by GPs. His study demonstrates that the resources devoted to coughs, colds and other minor ailments could free-up the equivalent of 1,000 full time GPs to treat more serious health problems.