FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
Research: Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA)

Please use the following Index to navigate to the different sections:

Index:

The history of the Research Niche Area:
 

To assure appropriate use of medicine in South African our research group, Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA) (formerly known as Pharmaceutical Solutions through Research and Education) was establish in 1994 as an initiative of the Subject Group Pharmacy Practice at the North-West University.

Since 1985 the subject group Pharmacy Practice has been involved in pharmacy practice-related research where the focus has changed continuously to accommodate developments and changes in the practising of pharmacy in South Africa. An analysis of the history of the research entity shows that our focus has shifted from general research-related problems (during 1985 to 1990) to the role and value of the pharmacist in community and hospital pharmacies (during 1990 to 1995). From 1995 our research entity has been focused on pharmaceutical care in both the public and private health care and managed health care, including management instruments such pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, drug utilisation review and evidence-based medicine. All current research projects focus on factors that may influence appropriate usage of medicine in South Africa.

Approximately 100 post-graduate students completed their studies in the past 25 years. Several of our research results were used by policy makers to make directional decisions regarding the pharmacy profession and health care delivering in South Africa. These include inter alias:

•

1988-1989: Evaluation of the standard of pharmaceutical services in community and hospital pharmacies. Project was done on request of the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) and forms the basis of the present inspection questionnaires used by the SAPC for inspection in community, institutional and wholesale pharmacies.

•

1992-1994: Analysis of medicine usage patterns in the Community Health Centres in Soweto (Results of this study were used by the National Drug Policy Committee as basis for the development of the 1996 National Drug Policy).

•

1995-1996: Determination of the added value of the community pharmacist. Specifically on request by the Community Pharmacy Society of South Africa.

•

2007 - 2010: Professional fees for pharmacist:
A member of MUSA was part of the Research and Development Task Team of the South African Pharmacy Council who was responsible for a national study to determine professional fees for pharmacist for services which can be provided in pharmacies. MUSA was specifically involved in the development of the research protocol, sampling, training of fieldworkers, data capturing and analysis of all data, as well as the final report writing.
The results of this project were used by the South African Pharmacy Council in submissions:

•

to the Minister of Health and the Medicine Pricing Committee regarding professional fees for pharmacists; and

•

to the Council of Medical Schemes for publication of the National Health Reference Price List (NHRPL), which would have important policy influence on the provision of professional services by pharmacists in the private health care sector.

The results of this research project led to the publication of a Board Notice (no 32749) that was published (Nov 2009) in the Gazette notifying the public and the pharmacy profession of the recommended professional fees that pharmacists may charge in 2010. The announcement clarified payment for services, and gave medical schemes the opportunity to incorporate the services into their benefit schedules for 2010.

Current research programmes:
 

Currently MUSA consists of one main research programme with four specific research objectives related to medicine usage namely:

•

To evaluate the impact of policy decisions of the National Drug Policy, with emphasis on indicators of equity, affordability and availability of medicine in South Africa.

•

To develop pharmaceutical care models to improve appropriate medicine usage in South Africa.

•

To determine and compare the medicine utilisation patterns and cost in both the public and private sectors of South Africa.

•

To investigate factors that may influence (positively and negatively) the appropriate use of medicine in South Africa.

Core competence and research expertise:
 

The core competence and research expertise of MUSA consist of:

•

pharmaceutical care / clinical aspects – enhance appropriate use of medicine,

•

medicine utilisation review and environmental influences on medicine usage,

•

pharmaco-epidemiology / pharmaco-economy; and

•

pharmacy practice related aspects regarding the standard, availability, accessibility and affordability of pharmaceutical services in both the private and public health care sector.

Participants in MUSA:
 

•

Leader: Prof. M S Lubbe

•

Primary researchers
Prof J J Gerber (Subject group: Clinical Pharmacy)
Prof J C Lamprecht (Subject group: Clinical Pharmacy
Prof J H P Serfontein (Subject groups: Pharmacy Practice)

•

Secondary researchers
Mr W D Basson M.Pharm (Subject groups Pharmacy Practice)
Mrs J R Burger M.Pharm (Subject groups Pharmacy Practice)
Ms R Steyn (Subject groups Pharmacy Practice)

•

Upcoming secondary researchers
Dr D M Rakumakoe (Subject group: Clinical Pharmacy)
Mrs HE Bekker (Subject group: Clinical Pharmacy)
Dr J du Plessis (Subject group: Clinical Pharmacy)
Mrs M J Basson (Subject groups Pharmacy Practice)

•

Research assistant
Ms A Bekker (BSc)

Achievements and awards:
 

2010:

Received the prize for the best outstanding poster in the category Medicine and Health Information at the 70th International Pharmaceutical Federation conference (FIP2010). The authors were: R Rabali, W D. Basson, J H.P. Serfontein, M S. Lubbe.

2009:

Received the prize for the best publication in Clinical Pharmacology at the 5th International conference on Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences (2009). The authors were: N L Katende-Kyenda; M S Lubbe; J H P Serfontein; I Truter.

2008:

Received the prize for the best publication in Pharmacy Practice at the 29th Annual Conference (2008) of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of South Africa. The authors were: R Steyn, J R Burger, M S Lubbe, and J H P Serfontein.

2008:

One of MUSA’s M.Pharm students (Mr UV Kruger) won the first runner up prize for the Adcock Ingram Young Scientist of the Year Award at the 29th Annual Conference of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of South Africa (2008).

Alliances with the private and public health sectors:
 

Alliances with the following departments and institutions exist:

•

North West Department of Health: Pharmaceutical services – Various research projects are implemented in primary health care clinics and hospital pharmacies.

•

Various Pharmacy Benefit Management Companies and medical schemes of South African and SADEC countries provide medicine claims data from the private health care sector for drug utilisation studies.

•

South African Pharmacy Council – MUSA provides expert advisory services to the SAPC regarding the development of a professional fee structure for pharmacists, standard of pharmaceutical services provided in registered pharmacies and the availability, affordability and sustainability of registered pharmacies in SA.

Community engagement:
 

Members of MUSA are currently involved in two community service projects in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Municipal District regarding quality assurance for the management of asthma and diabetes at primary health care clinics.

Published articles: