Course Overview

This Ausmed Course will review the nature of hypercholesterolaemia, risk factors for cardiovascular disease and lipid-lowering medicines.

Topics

• Incidence of cardiovascular disease
• What are lipids?
• Risk factors and target lipid levels
• Lipid-lowering medicines including statins, ezetimibe, fibrates, bile acid binding agents, fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids, nicotinic acid (niacin), and PCSK9 inhibitors.

Need

Pharmacological therapy and medication administration are fundamental in safe patient care. This Ausmed Course holds a strong and ethical patient focus while providing ongoing education to healthcare professionals in order to have a positive impact on patient outcomes.

Pharmacists, as providers of medicines and advisors to medicine use, must fully understand the concepts and practical applications of hypercholesterolaemia and lipid-lowering medicines administered in patient care.

However, many of the principles underlying how medicines work are often difficult to comprehend. As safe administration of medicines is a priority, it is essential that pharmacists and other healthcare professionals continue to demonstrate knowledge of the pharmacological and clinical uses of lipid-lowering medicines.

Purpose

The purpose of this Ausmed Course is to provide healthcare professionals with education relating to the appropriate use of lipid-lowering medicines.

Learning Outcomes

• Improved knowledge of lipid-lowering therapy in Australia including risk factors and incidence.
• Interpret the significance of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.
• Briefly describe the pharmacology of lipid-lowering treatments available.
• List sources of information for managing possible adverse effects and drug interactions of common lipid-modifying medicines.

Target Audience

Pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals who are involved in the prescribing, dispensing and administration of cholesterol-lowering medications throughout patient care.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educators

Presented by

Louis Roller View profile

Dr Louis Roller has been an academic at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University for over 55 years. He served on the Pharmacy Board of Victoria for 22 years and is the author of hundreds of scientific and professional articles. Louis was made a life member of the Australasian Pharmaceutical Sciences Association in 2012 and was awarded the life-long achievement award from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia in 2014. He is a prolific provider of education for Ausmed and for the University of the Third Age. He was awarded an AM in 2023.

Peer reviewed by

Jenny Gowan View profile