Healthy Ageing

Research at the Faculty aims to provide the Australian public with the ability to age in a healthy manner and with a high quality of life. Many patients in an ageing population are taking complex medication regimens, and medication adherence and the quality use of medicines are important aspects of their management.

The team is investigating how people age and exploring associated issues such as information required about medications, decreased mobility with age and the need to access services through the internet, a public health approach to obesity in the general public, over the counter pharmacy services and public health as well as ethics of professional services in community pharmacy. Also being investigated is the impact of pharmacist-conducted residential medication management reviews on psychotropic drug use in nursing homes.

Understanding the causes and consequences of variability in response to medicines and how this informs their quality use is another key focus of healthy ageing research at the Faculty in special patient populations such as older people, very young and critically ill. The group also has expertise in drug delivery and is investigating bio-materials at a cellular level.

Research Strengths

• Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) and drug safety
• Adherence to therapy
• Enhancing pharmacist services for an ageing population
• Clinical pharmacy and drug development
• Impact of ageing on drug disposition and response to medicines
• Ethnic differences in drug response
• Children and medication giving

Research Projects

Clinical Pharmacy and drug development
This clinical pharmacology research project is investigating the contribution of ethnic differences to inter-individual variation in drug response. Determinants of ethnic differences in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, such as pharmacogenetic variation, will be investigated. In particular, this study is looking at the role and possible interactions with drug transporters involved in drug disposition and action.

A Drug Burden Index: Improving prescribing and function in older people
This project tests the DBI as a tool to improve the quality use of medicines in older Australians. The study will improve the evidence base for the association between overall medication exposure and function in older people. The HMR model is a sustainable government funded service that can be used to bring this research finding into practice if it is found to benefit older Australians.

We hypothesise that the DBI represents a clinically useful tool to guide prescribing for older adults. Use of DBI as a risk assessment measure may help prescribers optimise physical and mental function, independence and quality of life in their older patients. This Application will test the DBI as part of pharmacist-led HMR to systematically guide prescribing in older people.

Competitive Research Grants

• "Pain control in older people"
  McLachlan, Naganathan, Le Couteur, Hilmer & Gibson
  NHMRC Project Grant # 571054
  $393,750
  2009 - 2011
• "The role of community pharmacy in post hospital management of patients initiated on warfarin"
  Peterson, Jackson, Bereznicki, McLachlan, Bajorek, Angley, Mullan Gaetani, Misan & Nelson
  Pharmacy Guild of Australia
  $1,128,777
  2007 - 2009
• "Pharmacy-based model enabling patient self-monitoring of warfarin: Development and evaluation"
  Bereznicki, Peterson, Jackson, McLachlan, Bajorek, Nelson, Mqrsden, Gee, Fitzmaurice
  Pharmacy Guild of Australia
  $198,603
  2007 - 2009
• "The first placebo-controlled trial of paracetamol for back pain"
  Latimer, Maher, McLachlan, Cooper, Hancock
  NHMRC Project Grant # 570883
  $602,625
  2009 - 2011
• "Inter-ethnic differences in tolerance of anti-cancer drugs"
  Clarke, McLachlan
  NHMRC Project Grant # 512533
  $332,125
  2008 - 2010

HDR Candidates

• Nistala, Shiva P.
  Doctor of Philosophy (full-time)
  Submit: February 2011
  "Psychotrophic medicines in older people: Impact of medication reviews"
  Primary Supervisor: Dr Tim Chen
  Associate Supervisor: Professor Andrew McLachlan
• Perera, Vidya
  Doctor of Philisophy (full-time)
  Submit: February 2012
  "Investigation of inter-ethnic differences in CYP1A2"
  Primary supervisor: Professor Andrew McLachlan
  Associate supervisor: Dr Tim Chen
• Stocker, Sophie L.
  Doctor of Philosophy (full-time)
  Submit: February 2010
  "Quality use of urate lowering medicines"
  Primary supervisor: Professor Andrew McLachlan
  Associate supervisor: Williams
• Basger, Benjamin J.
  Doctor of Philosophy (part-time)
  Submit: July 2014
  "Inappropriate drug use in elderly Australians"
  Primary supervisor: Dr Tim Chen
  Associate supervisor: Dr Rebekah Moles
• Sayeed, Naser
  Doctor of Philosophy (full-time)
  Submit: February 2013
  "Information needs and wants of elderly patients on warfarin therapy: The role and utility of web-based resources"
  Primary supervisor: Dr Beata Bajorek
  Associate supervisor: Mullen