Pharmacists at the heart of health strategy

THE Heart Foundation has launched a new 25-year vision to tackle the new and emerging challenges of heart disease, a generational strategy to ensure heart health becomes a reality for all Australians by 2050.

Health for Every Heart outlines measurable targets that will drive the national change required to reduce the death and burden of heart disease, which currently affects one in six Australians, and strategies to achieve them.

Pharmacists, in conjunction with other primary healthcare professionals, will play a critical role in helping to bring the vision to life, said Natalie Raffoul, Senior Manager Healthcare Programs and Clinical Strategy, Heart Foundation.

Targets include halving rates of high cholesterol, getting 80% of eligible people to have a Heart Health Check, boosting cardiac arrest survival rates from 10% to 30%, and reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity by 20%.

To achieve these targets, the vision includes preventing, detecting and managing heart disease risk early, as well as effectively managing heart disease and preventing further events as key goals.

“Pharmacists are trusted and accessible medicine experts in the community who will continue to play an important role in educating and supporting people to better understand their cardiac medicines and live fuller and healthier lives after a heart disease diagnosis,” Raffoul told Pharmacy Daily.

“Patient adherence to life-saving preventative medicines across Australia continues to be a challenge, even in people living with heart disease,” she continued.

“Pharmacists have an opportunity to help address this statistic via concerted education and counselling initiatives.

“As pharmacists play an increasingly larger role in complementing primary care efforts for the early detection and prevention of heart disease, they are well placed to reach communities that may not access traditional primary care services,” Raffoul concluded. KB

Read Health for Every Heart HERE.