Mrs Melissa Gannon1, Mrs Nicaela Pietropoli1, Mr Brett MacFarlane1
1Priceline Pharmacy, Docklands, Australia
Biography:
Mel Gannon is Chief Pharmacist at Priceline Pharmacy, leading clinical governance and professional education across a national community pharmacy network. She has more than 20 years’ experience in community pharmacy and a strong focus on women’s health, health literacy and access to evidence-informed care. Mel has led the development and implementation of pharmacist capability programs in partnership with leading Australian health organisations, including Jean Hailes for Women’s Health. Her work supports pharmacists and pharmacy teams to deliver confident counselling, appropriate referral and improved navigation for people experiencing menopause and perimenopause.
Aims:
To describe the design, implementation, and early outcomes of a pharmacist-enabled menopause support model embedded in Australian community pharmacy, addressing widespread knowledge gaps and uncertainty about care pathways.
Methods:
A multi-component menopause support program was implemented across a national pharmacy network from September 2025 to March 2026. Core elements included pharmacy assistant and accredited pharmacist education with Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, symptom-led in-store navigation, and a digital hub for information and referrals. National research on menopause literacy guided program design. Outcomes included training completion, pre/post self-reported confidence, in-pharmacy implementation, and consumer engagement with digital resources.
Results:
Over 3,500 pharmacists and pharmacy assistants completed menopause education, with self-reported confidence in menopause discussions rising by about 30% after training. 416 dedicated menopause education points were established in-store. The digital menopause hub logged more than 150,000 visits, reflecting strong consumer engagement with pharmacist-supported information. Commercial outcomes are not reported.
Conclusions:
Early findings suggest a scalable, pharmacist-enabled menopause support model is feasible in community pharmacy and may increase access to trusted menopause information. National uptake of training, establishment of in-pharmacy menopause information, and digital engagement show early system-level reach. Continued evaluation should assess consumer outcomes, referral quality, and equity for diverse populations.