Thu 22 October 2026
Safer surgery in sight: Australia-first Perioperative Medicines Guide coming early 2027
Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has revealed details of Australia’s first perioperative medicines resource supporting decision-making for Australian health professionals, as delegates gather for tomorrow’s opening of Australia’s largest scientific pharmacy conference, Medicines Management 2026 (MM2026).
The open-access online Australian Perioperative Medicines Guide will feature a searchable A-to-Z list of medicine monographs to provide practical guidance for managing patients’ existing medications around surgery, alongside education for health professionals and co-designed consumer resources.
AdPha President Associate Professor Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the guide and resources – developed in partnership with the Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups (CATAG) and funded by a grant from the Australian Department of Health’s Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) program – will address critical knowledge gaps among health professionals, amid a 1.4% annual increase in surgical admissions1.
‘Of more than three million surgeries performed each year in hospitals, approximately 2.6 million are elective, one-third of which involve patients aged 65 years and older who often manage multiple health conditions and are on multiple medications1.
‘Effective medication management from pre-admission to post-acute care is crucial for ensuring patient safety and optimising health outcomes. Getting it wrong has real consequences – surgeries delayed or cancelled on the day, distressing for patients and costly for hospitals.
‘The new guide will feature comprehensive information and summary tables, plus the ability for health professionals to generate and export a simple medication plan for patients that provides clear instruction on what to do with their medicines before and after surgery.
‘This project distils knowledge and information that can’t be automated or aggregated by online tools, requiring patience, diligence and human context to uphold the highest governance and safety standards.
‘This is advanced pharmacy in action: extending the clinical expertise of specialty pharmacists working alongside medical and nursing experts to enhance patient safety and outcomes in care across Australia.’
‘Today we acknowledge AdPha’s Surgery and Perioperative Medicines Leadership Committee who have championed this resource, particularly longstanding advocate and Editorial Committee Chair Thuy Bui, and leading contributors Caitlin Mulqueen and Janelle Penno.
CATAG Chair Anita Shutt FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedsMgmt) says the new resource will provide more consistent care for patients undergoing surgery.
‘The peri-operative period is a high-risk transition point for medication management, where clear communication and consistent practices are essential to patient safety. These new guidelines provide clinicians with practical, evidence-informed recommendations to support safe medication administration before, during and after surgery.
‘CATAG is pleased to support a resource that will help reduce medication-related harm and improve the quality and consistency of care across Australian hospitals.’
To sign up for resource updates, visit adpha.au/publications-resources/apmg