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Using Medicines for Better Health: Health Literacy and Health Education Grants awarded to Quality Use of Medicines Alliance

3 October 2023

Two new grants will see peak health and consumer organisations working together. The grants will support consumer health literacy and improve the use of medicines in Australia.

The grants will run over a 2-year period. They will help address priority quality use of medicines issues for:

• atopic dermatitis
• gout
• antidepressants in older people, and
• oral anticoagulants.

These are four health areas where we know consumers can experience problems with medicine quality and safety.

The Grants

The two grants have been awarded under the Australian Government’s Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) Program. Through these grants, free educational activities and resources, focused on these four health areas, will be developed for a national audience of both health professionals and consumers.

Led by HCCA, the Consumer Health Literacy Grant will ensure consumers’ needs and perspectives are reflected in the resources developed for both consumers and health professionals. Complementing this effort, the Health Professional Education Grant, led by Medcast Pty Ltd will leverage evidence-based approaches to create a comprehensive suite of interactive learning activities and resources for health professionals.

“By bringing together health professional and consumer organisations we have a unique opportunity to co-design educational programs and complementary resources to address medication issues for millions of Australians,” said Ms. Darlene Cox, Executive Director of HCCA.

The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance

The Health Care Consumers’ Association (HCCA) is a member of the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance. The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance is a consortium of eight health and consumer organisations. The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance will align their work across the two grants.

The Quality Use of Medicines Alliance brings together unique expertise from:

• education providers,
• consumer groups,
• researchers,
• health professional colleges,
• peak bodies, and
• member organisations.

See our HCCA project page for more information on the Using Medicines for Better Health Project and the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance. You can also leave your details on the form in the project page to register for future updates on this work.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

Darlene Cox
Ph: 02 6230 7800
Email: [email protected]