The Utility of a Digital Glucose-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist-Supported Weight-Loss Service in Regional Australia: A Qualitative Analysis of Interviews With Current Patients of the Eucalyptus Program.

Objective: Against the backdrop of alarming obesity rates and growing concerns about access to specialist care across Australia, this study aims to assess the utility of the nation's largest digital weight-loss service (DWLS) in regional Australia.

Setting: This study focuses on patients of the Eucalyptus DWLS who live in regional Australia (Monash Modified Model classification 3-6).

Participants: Thirty-two adults living with overweight or obesity who have been subscribed to the Eucalyptus DWLS for at least 3 weeks were invited to participate in phone-based interviews.

The Role of Pharmacists in Minimizing the Risk Inherent in Unbundled Telehealth Services: A 12-Month Retrospective Case Study.

Pharmacists have often been viewed as the last line of defence against prescription errors in traditional care models. Although a large number of chronic care patients are using telehealth services to increase their access to continuous care, researchers have yet to investigate prescription safety in such settings in Australia. The absence of this literature is particularly concerning in the context of the Australian Government's admission in a 2024 report that the national health system has not adequately addressed the World Health Organization's 'Medication without harm' objective.

Why People Seek Obesity Care Through Digital Rather Than In-Person Services: A Quantitative Multinational Analysis of Patients From a Large Unsubsidized Digital Obesity Provider.

Digital modalities have been demonstrated to improve access and adherence to various chronic care services by mitigating geographical, temporal, and psychological barriers to ongoing multidisciplinary consultations, which such diseases necessitate. The net utility of medication-supported digital weight-loss services (DWLSs) has been intensely debated over the past few years due to their rapid uptake against the backdrop of the obesity epidemic. However, research on these services in real-world settings is scarce.

Nurse Practitioner and General Practitioner Error Rates in a Large Digital Health Service: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Background: Nurse practitioners have been prescribing medication within a narrow scope of practice throughout the world for several decades as a means of meeting rising demand for community health services. Prominent medical bodies have alleged that the Australian government's decision to remove the need for general practitioner collaboration in the context of a nurse practitioner prescribing medication compromises patient safety.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether nurse practitioner prescribing increases patient risk relative to general practitioner prescribing in a large digital health service.

The Effect of Lifestyle Coaching Design on Patient Engagement and Weight Loss in Non-diabetic Patients of a Semaglutide-Supported Digital Obesity Program in the UK: A Comparative Retrospective Cohort Study.

Digital weight-loss services (DWLSs) that supplement continuous lifestyle coaching with semaglutide therapy have shown promise in delivering continuous and effective obesity care. However, the extent to which lifestyle coaching design influences patient engagement and program effectiveness is unknown. This study retrospectively analysed several engagement markers and weight loss percentage over 16 weeks in a large semaglutide-supported DWLS in the UK (n=154).

GLP-1 RA Prescribing Errors in a Multidisciplinary Digital Weight-Loss Service: A Retrospective Quantitative Analysis.

Background: Digital weight loss services (DWLSs) that use Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have demonstrated potential in contributing to a shift in global obesity rates. However, reasonable concerns have been raised about the prescribing safety of these services. Prior to this study, electronic prescribing safety had only been investigated in hospital settings and community clinics.

The Dispensing Error Rate in an App-Based, Semaglutide-Supported Weight-Loss Service: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Digital weight-loss services (DWLSs) combining pharmacotherapy and health coaching have the potential to make a major contribution to the global struggle against obesity. However, the degree to which DWLSs compromise patient safety through the dispensation of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications is unknown. This study retrospectively analysed the rate at which patients reported GLP-1 RA dispensing errors from patient-selected and partner pharmacies of Australia's largest DWLS provider over a six-month period.

The effectiveness and sustainability of health outcomes from a holistic digital weight-loss service with concomitant initiation of tirzepatide: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial in the UK.

Aim: To measure the effectiveness and sustainability of the Juniper UK digital weight-loss service (DWLS), which delivers 6 months of personalized, proactive lifestyle coaching supplemented with tirzepatide to patients through a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Methods: An observer-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted on a cohort of non-diabetic patients of the Juniper DWLS in the UK. Participants in both the intervention and control groups will receive weekly subcutaneous injections of 2.

Patient Adherence to a Real-World Digital, Asynchronous Weight Loss Program in Australia That Combines Behavioural and GLP-1 RA Therapy: A Mixed Methods Study.

Increasingly large numbers of people are using digital weight loss services (DWLSs) to treat being overweight and obesity. Although it is widely agreed that digital modalities improve access to care in general, obesity stakeholders remain concerned that many DWLSs are not comprehensive or sustainable enough to deliver meaningful health outcomes. This study adopted a mixed methods approach to assess why and after how long patients tend to discontinue Australia's largest DWLS, a program that combines behavioural and pharmacological therapy under the guidance of a multidisciplinary care team.