All guides: Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science: Websites

Australian legislation and regulations

AHPRA: Legislation
The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law is a nationally consistent law passed by each state and territory parliament. Links to the laws of each Australian state and territory.
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is part of the Australian Government Department of Health and is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods including prescription medicines, vaccines, sunscreens, vitamins and minerals, medical devices, blood and blood products.
Victorian Department of Health: legislation and approvals for drugs, medicines and poisons
Medicines and poisons are controlled using licenses and permits. Links to legislation, regulations, gazettal notices, and ministerial and secretary approvals.
Victorian Pharmacy Authority (VPA)
The VPA is responsible for the administration of the Pharmacy Regulation Act 2010 which provides for the regulation of pharmacy businesses, pharmacy departments and pharmacy depots.
Australian Immunisation Handbook
Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI); approved by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Clinical advice for health professionals on the safest and most effective use of vaccines in their practice.
Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA): Codes, Guidelines and Policies

The functions of the Pharmacy Board of Australia include:

registering pharmacists and students.
developing standards, codes and guidelines.
handling notifications, complaints, investigations and disciplinary hearings.
assessing overseas trained practitioners who wish to practice in Australia
approving accreditation standards and accredited courses of study

The Poisons Standard - Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP)
Decisions regarding the classification of medicines and poisons into Schedules for inclusion in the relevant legislation of the States and Territories. It includes model provisions about containers and labels, a list of products recommended to be exempt from these provisions, and recommendations about other controls on drugs and poisons.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) - Professional Practice Standards
The 16 Standards in PPS V5 have been restructured into four key streams – Foundations of Practice, Providing Therapeutic Goods, Providing Health Information and Delivering Professional Services – to clearly articulate the professional roles and activities that contemporary pharmacists undertake. Self-assessment tool, implementation tools, and guidelines.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) - code of ethics for pharmacists
PSA’s Code of Ethics for Pharmacists (the ‘Code’) articulates the values of the pharmacy profession and expected standards of ethical behaviour of pharmacists towards individuals, the community and society. The Code underpins the professional practice of all pharmacists in Australia.
Healthdirect Australia
The national virtual public health information service.
Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA): Standards of Practice
Guidance on the delivery of clinical, operational and specialty hospital pharmacy services.
Australian Pharmacy Council (APC)
The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is the national accreditation authority for pharmacy education and training, that seeks to protect public health by setting and maintaining high standards of pharmacy education.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
PSA leads and supports innovative, evidence-based healthcare service delivery by pharmacists.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia
A national employers’ organisation representing and promoting the value of community pharmacy in the Australian health care system.
Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA)
A national professional organisation for pharmacists, pharmacist interns, students, technicians and associates practising in public and private hospitals.
Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT)
A professional and independent society in Australia and New Zealand with expertise in the use and toxicity of medicines and chemicals.

International websites

StatPearls
Vast online library for medical and allied health students and professionals, written by experts in each field. Frequently updated. Supported by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
MedlinePlus
US National Library of Medicine (NLM). Free online health information resource for patients and their families and friends.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
The WHO is the United Nations agency dedicated to global health and safety.

Evaluating information sources

The CRAAP test

Evaluate the quality of a range of sources using the CRAAP test.

• Currency: when was it created?
• Relevance: is it on my topic?
• Authority: is it by an expert?
• Accuracy: is it correct?
• Purpose: why was it created?

The SIFT method

Evaluate the quality of web and social media sources using the SIFT method.

• Stop - think before using a source.
• Investigate where it is from.
• Find alternative sources.
• Trace claims, quotes and media.

Fact checking

Find out how to verify the factual accuracy of sources using the Fact Checking guide.

• Assess content created by humans and artificial intelligence (AI).
• Learn how to spot fake news.
• Access different fact checking tools.

Library subject guides

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science

Australian legislation and regulations

International websites

Evaluating information sources