Consumer Medicine Information

Research team

Dr Parisa Aslani, Senior Lecturer, Pharmacy Practice

Research summary

Dr Aslani’s research addresses areas of fundamental significance: the design of Consumer Medicine Information (CMI); and, issues that impact the Quality Use of Medicines (QUM). Dr Aslani’s profound long-term goal is to determine how consumers evaluate medicine information, enabling the profession to enhance patient access to and understanding of medicines. This is a critical step towards promoting adherence, concordance and compliance within varied Australian communities.

In the “Consumer Medicine Information Effectiveness” project, Dr Aslani leads a team of national and international experts who aim to develop and evaluate viable alternative CMI formats to ensure optimal effectiveness and best practice delivery in community pharmacy practice. Research work developed in the area of CMI by Dr Aslani has led to the implementation and dissemination of a national training program through the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia on the use of Consumer Medicine Information in community pharmacies. This training program has also been integrated in the undergraduate and postgraduate curricula at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

Research projects

• Consumer Medicine Information evaluation and impact on consumers
  To investigate the association between the quality of written medicine information and impact on consumer knowledge, satisfaction and behaviour. To optimise patient care and quality use of medicines through the use of effective medicine information, counselling and adherence services provided in community pharmacy practice.
• Consumer Medicine Information: Assessment of pharmacists' behaviour
  To investigate how pharmacists use written medicine information as part of their counselling practice.

HDR candidates

• Hamrosi, Kim
  Doctor of Philosophy (full-time)
  Submit date: February 2013
  "The evaluation, development and testing of alternative forms of written medicine information for consumers"
  Primary supervisor: Dr Parisa Aslani
  Associate supervisor: Raynor

Competitive research grants

• "The CMI Effectiveness Tender"
  Aslani, Raynor, Knapp, Hughes, Parkinson, Moore, Gingold & Nissen
  Pharmacy Guild of Australia
  $1,023,995
  2007 - 2009

Recent publications

1. Puspitasari HP, Aslani P, Krass I (2009). How do Australian metropolitan and rural pharmacists counsel consumers with prescriptions? Pharmacy World and Science, 31:3, 394-405. DOI 10.1007/s11096-009-9289-9.
2. Puspitasari HP, Aslani P, Krass I. (2009). A review of counseling practice on prescription medicines in community pharmacies, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, in press, available on-line 2 Feb, DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2008.08.006,
3. de Almeida Neto AC, Aslani P, Chen T (2009). Guidelines for involving patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence: Have we got it right, British Medical Journal, accepted June 2009.
4. Luk A, Aslani P (2009). Evaluation of written medicine and health information, Submitted July 2009, Medical Care.