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Unit of study_
NURS5077: Quality Use of Medicines in Practice
2025 unit information
With reference to one of the central objectives of Australia's National Medicines Policy, the Quality Use of Medicines (QUM), students will focus on developing skills related to selecting management options wisely considering the risk and benefit to the consumer, choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary and using medicines safely and effectively. Students will explore the regulatory framework associated with medication management and focus on clinical pharmacological therapies relevant to their specialist area of practice as an advanced practitioner. Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) is one of the central objectives of Australia's National Medicines Policy and serves as a conceptual and practice framework for this unit of study. Quality Use of Medicines is defined as: considering and selecting the best management options for each individual wisely by considering both non-drug and drug options; choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary so that the best available option is selected by taking into account the individual, the clinical condition, the risks and benefits, dosage and length of treatment required, any coexisting conditions, other therapies the individual may be taking, monitoring considerations, costs for the individual, the community and the health system as a whole, and ensuring medicines are used safely and effectively to get the best possible results by monitoring outcomes, minimising misuse, overuse and underuse and improving people's ability to solve problems related to medication.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Pharmacy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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NURS5088 |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of guidelines and standards for prescription and administration of medications, and the ethical and legal responsibilities as an advanced practice clinician
- LO2. Utilise a rational-prescribing approach to the use of medicines considering risk, benefit and optimisation of dosage regimens, as well as long-term effects of medication use for consumers and society
- LO3. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) in its widest context including the impact on the patient’s/client’s family, and awareness of the context of prescribing
- LO4. Critically evaluate sources of pharmaceutical information and other resources to guide advanced nursing practice with pharmaceutical therapies.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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