OPEN and PGNZ partner to strengthen pharmacists’ role in pain care

Practical skills to make every pain conversation count

This World Pharmacists Day, I am delighted to announce OPEN’s partnership with the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (PGNZ), supporting community pharmacists to strengthen their skills and confidence in pain care.

As a pharmacist, I know the value of the relationships we build through everyday conversations. People may speak to their pharmacist about pain long before seeking other support. That accessibility gives us an opportunity to listen, recognise concerns early and help people take the next step towards appropriate care.

Our contribution extends well beyond medicines. Pharmacists can help people understand pain, explore strategies to support daily activities and self-management, and connect with other health professionals. Bringing these elements together is central to effective, person-centred care.

Through this partnership, PGNZ members will have greater access to OPEN’s practical, evidence-informed Clinical Pain Training Program. Developed with leading pain experts and informed by lived experience, it equips health professionals with skills they can apply in their next consultation.

I look forward to working with PGNZ to support pharmacists across Aotearoa New Zealand to make every conversation about pain count.

Supporting better pain care in everyday community pharmacy

Community pharmacists are often one of the most accessible health professionals for people living with persistent pain. We see patients regularly, often over many years, which gives us a valuable opportunity to understand not only the medicines they are taking, but how pain is affecting their everyday lives. That puts pharmacists in an important position to support safe and effective medicine use, identify problems early, reinforce non-pharmacological approaches, and help patients navigate what can be a complex and frustrating journey.

Pain management is also an area where good conversations matter. Practical, evidence-based education can help pharmacists move beyond simply discussing analgesics to having more confident conversations about expectations, function, risk, self-management and the wider factors that influence pain.

That is why the Pharmacy Guild is pleased to partner with OPEN. By making high-quality, practical pain education more accessible to our members, we hope to help pharmacists strengthen both their knowledge and their confidence and translate that learning into better conversations and better support for patients in everyday community pharmacy practice.