AMA Queensland Survey Report - UTI Treatment by Pharmacists Pilot
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) Queensland surveyed over 1300 Queensland doctors in relation to the Urinary Tract Infection Pharmacy Pilot Queensland and North Queensland Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot. USANZ Members may be interested in the results of the report.
As a summary, the key findings of the Survey were:
- 1,307 Queensland doctors participated in the Survey
- 240 patient complications were reported as a result of the UTI pilot
- 1 in 5 GPs saw a patient with complications
- The most frequent comments from doctors related to:
- inappropriate or ineffective antibiotic use
- misdiagnosis and treatment of a condition that was not a UTI
- patients needing hospitalisation as a result of ineffective or inappropriate treatment or misdiagnosis
- patients being reluctant to disclose accurate and relevant information to the pharmacist due to lack of privacy and proximity of other customers
- patients being up-sold unnecessary products
- treatment of male patients (trial was limited to female patients).
- Misdiagnoses of another condition as UTI was the most commonly seen complication reported by doctors
- Missed STI and pelvic inflammatory disease
- Missed pregnancy diagnosis
- Cancer overlooked