Clinical Pharmacology

A clinical pharmacologist is a medical specialist with expertise in the way in which medicines act on the body and how they might be best used. They have particular expertise in the management of patients with multiple medical problems, who are often prescribed multiple different medications, some of which may not agree with each other. In addition to being experts in the properties of medicines clinical pharmacologists are specialist physicians involved in direct patient care.

The Clinical Pharmacology Unit is integrated with General Medical 3 Unit and the Hypertension Service.

The unit also provides consultation service to the CMAX Drug Studies unit which is involved in early drug development.

Inpatient Services

All physicians of the Clinical Pharmacology Unit have admitting rights at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and two of the staff are consultants on General Medical 3 Unit.

The service welcomes consultations regarding all aspects of problems related to therapeutic and pharmacological areas.

Hypertension Service

Special interest clinics are held in the Hypertension Clinic and the Autonomic Disorders Clinic/Laboratory.

Outpatient Assessments

Staff of the Clinical Pharmacology Department are in charge of the Hypertension Service and also provide general medical and clinical pharmacology outpatient services.

A special clinic that has been established is the Drug Optimisation Clinic. This clinic specialises in the management of patients who require treatment with multiple medications such as heart failure, ischemic heart disease, difficult to treat hypertension, atrial fibrillation, or patients with multiple medical problems requiring drug therapy. Consultation in the clinic aims to ensure that patients receive ideal care by taking an evidence-based, patient centred, and individualised approach to their care.

Professor Paul Rolan has a special expertise and interest in the management of pain, particularly headaches.

Research

Research is carried out in the following fields

• Pain and palliative care
• Hypertension
• Autonomic problems
• Drug usage and clinical practice evaluation
• Early drug development
• Pharmacological treatment of headaches

Clinical Pharmacologists

• Dr S Shakib (Head of Unit)
• Professor F Bochner
• Dr A Tonkin
• Professor P Rolan
• Professor D Frewin

Contact email:

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

The service provides daily advice with interpretation of plasma concentrations of drugs which have been assayed in the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Laboratory of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science. This advice is available to both hospital staff and community practitioners.

Other Services

Staff are heavily involved in advising on drug regulatory matters within the hospital including chairing the Drug Committee and the Investigational Drugs Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee and providing a medical advisory service to the Hospital's Drug Information Centre.