Griffith, Blackmores Institute launch special online course on complementary medicines

Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals will have the opportunity to boost their knowledge of complementary medicines when Griffith University and Blackmores Institute launch a special online course.

An online Griffith-devised CPD-accredited short course, it will be offered to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals free of charge through the Blackmores Institute website. The course taps into Griffith’s Short Course in Integrative Medicine, developed and presented by the School of Pharmacy’s Associate Professor Evelin Tiralongo and Adjunct Associate Professor Greg Mapp, to up-skill pharmacy practitioners in complementary medicines.

It provides pharmacists and other healthcare professionals with practical information on key health conditions, to enable them to deliver evidence-based complementary medicine advice to their patients and customers.

“Research has shown that consumers expect to be informed on the efficacy and safety of complementary medicines by their pharmacist or doctor,” Associate Professor Tiralongo said.

“With two in three Australians now using complementary medicines, it’s even more important to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills they require to counsel their patients on the quality use of evidence-based complementary medicines,” she said.

The online platform and free access provided by Blackmores Institute will enable this course to reach a wider audience in the health care practitioner’s community.

For those who successfully complete the online course, Griffith will offer a new, indepth, one-day face to face workshop that will focus on specific topics in more detail. This “masterclass,” supported by Blackmores Institute, will be offered in various capital cities each year.

“Blackmores Institute has a strong commitment to supporting the quality use of complementary medicine,” said Blackmores Institute Director of Education, Pam Stone.

“We believe that education is the key to helping pharmacists and other healthcare professionals translate evidence into practice and to successfully integrate complementary healthcare into the total patient care model. This will ultimately lead to better health outcomes for Australians.”