Brett Thiedeman
Welcome to the street clinics podcast where we discuss various health-related topics. And today we have a special guest, Melissa, who is the pharmacist and is here to talk to us about HMR and home medicine reviews. Welcome, Melissa.
Melissa Riley
Thank you for having me, Brett.
Brett Thiedeman
Thank you. Yeah. Now I really appreciate it before the Easter break squeezing it in. But before we get stuck into it, Melissa, do you want to tell the listeners a little bit about yourself?
Melissa Riley
Yeah, sure. I’ve been a qualified pharmacist for almost 30 years now. And I started my career in retail pharmacy, and I worked in various pharmacies on the Mornington Peninsula. But when I had my first child, I was looking for something a little more flexible. So I did some further studies to become a consultant pharmacist, which allows me to do medication reviews for doctors.
Brett Thiedeman
Oh, excellent. And have you always been in the Mornington Peninsula?
Melissa Riley
I’ve lived on the Mornington Peninsula for more than 30 years. Yeah, so a long time and yeah, at the Mornington Peninsula resident, you know, I really enjoy spending time at the beach. You know, for me, the beat to the place where I can exercise, whether it’s walking my dog or trying to master a new skill, like stand-up paddleboarding? Yeah. It’s also a place where I like to relax and read a book while getting some vitamin D, or socializing with friends and family. So it really ticks all the boxes for health and well being for me.
Brett Thiedeman
It sounds perfect to me, Melissa, and actually, on the weekend, I was out at the red heel, rail trail. Walk Have you been there before?
Melissa Riley
No, I haven’t. But yeah, my kids used to do a lot of long-distance running. And they would often be doing training along there at different points. Good place for walking and running. I believe it was beautiful.
Brett Thiedeman
First time I’d been out there and I loved it. And I was at one of the wineries as well in Red Hill at the green olive and if you’ve been out there before, yes, yeah, you’ve been to that one. Yeah, no, no heaps of fun. So I hope to explore that area some more. So what we might do now is get into it. And I guess to start off with, are you able to explain to the listeners, what is HMR? Melissa?
Melissa Riley
Sure. So HMR is a service offered by a consultant pharmacist in Australia to review a patient’s medication use in their own home. So it involves a comprehensive medication review where the pharmacist evaluates the patient’s medication regime, and can provide recommendations to their doctor to optimize their therapy.
Brett Thiedeman
Okay, great. That sounds interesting. Are you able to tell us a little bit about how it works?
Melissa Riley
Yeah, absolutely. And so the process begins with the pharmacist organizing a suitable time to visit the patient in the privacy of their own home. And during this visit, there’s a discussion with the patient to gather information about their medical history, medications and any concerns or issues they may have with their medication use. And the pharmacist can also provide advice to the patient about how they store take and dispose of their medications.
Brett Thiedeman
Okay, well, that’s a very detailed, I guess, what are some of the benefits? Melissa, are you able to share some of those with the medicine reviews?
Melissa Riley
Yeah, there are several benefits with having a high medicine review. So firstly, it can help to identify and resolve any medication related problems, such as side effects or drug interactions. And secondly, it can improve medication adherence, which is especially important for people with chronic conditions. Thirdly, it can help to simplify medication regimes, which can be beneficial for patients who are taking multiple medications. And finally, it can also help to reduce the risk of medication related hospital admissions.
Brett Thiedeman
Okay, great. Sounds like great benefits is a specific group of patients who would benefit most to you know who you see benefit the most at the moment.
Melissa Riley
Yeah, absolutely. HMR is suitable for anyone who takes multiple medications, especially those who have complex medication regimes, chronic conditions or risk of medication related problems. It’s also beneficial for patients who have recently been discharged from hospital or have had any changes made to their medication.
Brett Thiedeman
Okay, that makes sense. And I guess for the listeners, how can someone access this type of service?
Melissa Riley
I HMR is available free of charge through a referral from a GP or a special So, once the referral is made, the patient’s pharmacists will contact them to arrange an appointment for the review to begin.
Brett Thiedeman
Okay, great. Is there anything else that you’d like to add? About the about HMOs? Melissa?
Melissa Riley
I guess it’s something that a lot of people are not aware of. And they’re not aware that this service is readily available for them. So I guess I would just encourage your listeners to talk to their doctor about whether it would be suitable for them to have a HMR in their own home.
Brett Thiedeman
Okay, great. Now, that’s great. Well, listen, again, thank you for your time. So close to the Easter break. Really appreciate your time. And we look forward to maybe getting you on another time as well. And before you go, what are your plans for the Easter break?
Melissa Riley
I’m actually lucky enough to be heading down to rain in Ireland, which is down in Gippsland. Going to stay with my inlaws who have a little place down there. So I’ll be spending a few days down there hopefully eating lots of chocolate, well, not too much chocolate, some chocolate and sharing some wonderful food and company with family.
Brett Thiedeman
Great. Well, I have a Happy Easter. Enjoyed the break. And as I said, and hopefully we can get you on the podcast again, at a later date. After you’ve done some more reviews, and I guess for the listeners before you go, yeah, Melissa will be doing the home medicine reviews for Atticus health. So yeah, if you are listening and as Melissa said, you know, please speak to your GP who can refer you to Melissa, if you think this is something that you might need after you’ve listened to this podcast. So thanks again and we’ll speak to you soon.
Melissa Riley
Thanks for having me, Brett.
