COMPUS Communiqué - Vol 2, No. 6

In This Issue

• Observer Member to the COMPUS Advisory Committee (CAC) from the Conseil du médicament du Québec
• Proton Pump Inhibitors – Project Update
• Canadian Academic Detailing Collaboration (CADC) Workshop
• New Simplified Medication Prescribing and Use Project (MPUP) Collection
• New Appointment ─ Director, Interventions and Outreach for COMPUS
• Employment Opportunities

Observer Member to the COMPUS Advisory Committee (CAC) from the Conseil du médicament du Québec

During the summer, CADTH issued an invitation to the Conseil du médicament du Québec to become an observer to the CAC. Recently we were advised that Lucie Robitaille, Director General of the Conseil du médicament, will serve as the CAC observer member from Québec. Since the Conseil also has the mandate of promoting optimal use of drugs, this linkage, for the purposes of sharing information and evaluating areas of possible collaboration, will be valuable. We are very happy to welcome Lucie and look forward to her participation with the committee.

The CAC includes representatives from the federal, provincial, and territorial Health Ministries, and related health organizations. This committee provides advice to the CADTH Board and to the COMPUS program on priority areas for best practice initiatives, COMPUS activities and products, and other issues.

Proton Pump Inhibitors – Project Update

The COMPUS Expert Review Panel (CERP) held a full-day face-to-face meeting in Ottawa on August 18 to discuss evidence-based statements relating to two condition areas: dyspepsia and PUD (peptic ulcer and NSAID-ulcer) and to discuss the results of an economic study on GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) for our Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) project.

The panel will meet again in late September and late October to review clinical statements and cost-effectiveness statements for the three condition areas. Once these statements are complete, COMPUS will begin work on identifying gaps in practice related to the prescribing and use of PPIs.

We are pleased with the level of interest, support, and valuable feedback received to date on our PPI project. A special thank you to CAC, CERP, and the numerous other stakeholders who continue to be actively involved in assisting COMPUS with this important work.

Look for more details about the next steps for our PPI project in upcoming issues of the COMPUS Communiqué.

Canadian Academic Detailing Collaboration (CADC) Workshop

The CADC, with funding from CADTH’s COMPUS program, hosted the first-ever invitational Canadian Academic Detailing* Workshop (basic level) in Saskatoon, from September 16 to 19, 2006. An international pharmacist and physician team from Australia, Canada and the US, facilitated an intense, participatory workshop − designed to provide basic and consistent academic detailing skills to existing and novice detailers.

CADTH supports this partnership with the CADC to build new capacity to produce and use evidence-based information in Canada.

*Academic detailing is described by Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine as: “a form of continuing education for physicians in which a trained health care professional such as a pharmacist or nurse provides evidence-based information on therapeutic choices to physicians in one-on-one or small group visits.”

New Simplified Medication Prescribing and Use Project (MPUP) Collection

In response to stakeholder feedback, CADTH recently made some key improvements to the MPUP Collection, making it faster and easier for individuals to share information about their initiatives.

New features include:

• a one-step project or program submission process that takes about 15 minutes to complete
• a subject search function
• a new look and feel to complement the recently launched CADTH web site.

The MPUP Collection – an online forum – is intended for health professionals and others interested in building and sharing knowledge about the best possible methods for the prescribing and use of medicines.

Visit the MPUP Collection to see the latest improvements and to take advantage of this networking tool. You can connect with your peers by including information about your initiatives or by exploring the innovative work profiled by other Canadians.

New Appointment ─ Director, Interventions and Outreach for COMPUS

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Stephen Graham to CADTH as the Director, Interventions and Outreach for COMPUS. Stephen is responsible for fostering and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders; creating awareness of and promoting best practices in drug prescribing and use; working closely with stakeholders to determine their needs in the area of interventions; and delivering relevant products and services to meet stakeholder requirements that would promote and influence optimal drug therapy. Before joining CADTH, Stephen worked as a private research consultant on projects related to drug utilization, health policy, and health outcomes. He also worked as a community pharmacist for more than seven years, and spent close to eighteen years with the Canadian Armed Forces. Stephen continues to hold appointments with both the Faculty of Medicine and the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University. He is a member of the Institute Advisory Board for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health) and a Management Committee Member for the Drug Evaluation Alliance of Nova Scotia. With a PhD in Pharmacy Healthcare Administration, from the University of Florida, Stephen brings relevant and complementary experience to the COMPUS program, making him a valuable asset to our team.

Employment Opportunities

CADTH has many exciting job openings. The COMPUS Directorate is currently recruiting for:

• Manager, Implementation Support
• Officer, Best Practice Recommendations

If you’re interested in joining our growing team of professionals, visit career opportunities on the CADTH web site.