{"id":1725,"date":"2024-04-19T12:27:45","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T12:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/?p=1725"},"modified":"2024-04-19T12:27:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T12:27:45","slug":"senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia."},"content":{"rendered":"

Coral Gartner, Kathryn Steadman, Lisa Nissen<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Australia, nicotine-containing vape products are only available on prescription, and reforms to further restrict the availability of vaping products are planned which will make the country’s vaping laws among the most restrictive in the world. In a recent Special Communication<\/a>, Professor Coral Gartner and colleagues argue for an alternative regulatory model through pharmacists. They explain their reasoning in this Conversation article<\/a>, which we have reposted here.<\/p>\n

The Australian government is currently\u00a0considering a bill<\/a>\u00a0to implement the next stage of reforms to vaping regulation.<\/p>\n

At present, vaping products that don\u2019t contain nicotine can be sold in regular shops, such as convenience stores, like tobacco products are. To use vaping products that contain nicotine,\u00a0people must have a prescription<\/a>\u00a0from a doctor or a nurse practitioner, and get the prescription filled at a pharmacy.<\/p>\n

However, many retailers have sold\u00a0nicotine-containing vapes illegally<\/a>\u00a0by pretending they don\u2019t contain nicotine. Young people have found it\u00a0easy to obtain them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The current bill will address this issue by ending the sale of nicotine-free vaping products by general retail stores. But it\u2019s not only teenagers who have accessed nicotine vaping products without a prescription. Most adults who vape, including those who use vaping products to quit smoking,\u00a0don\u2019t have a prescription<\/a>\u00a0either.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0new paper<\/a>, we argue allowing pharmacists to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription would be a practical way to ensure people who are using them to quit smoking can access them, while reducing the chance they\u2019ll fall into young hands.<\/p>\n

Why are people vaping without a prescription?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research shows vaping\u00a0can help people quit smoking<\/a>\u00a0and may be more effective than other nicotine replacement therapies. For people who have not succeeded with other methods, using vapes\u00a0to quit smoking<\/a>\u00a0may be a reasonable option. Although certainly not risk-free, the health risks of vaping are likely to be much\u00a0lower than those of smoking<\/a>\u00a0because vapes emit far lower levels of harmful chemicals than cigarettes.<\/p>\n

Some doctors\u00a0will not prescribe<\/a>\u00a0vaping products because they are not approved medicines. Others lack knowledge about their use for smoking cessation or find the reporting requirements for prescribing them too onerous. Prescribers must notify the\u00a0Therapeutic Goods Administration<\/a>\u00a0via an online form within 28 days of prescribing nicotine-containing vapes.<\/p>\n

Online prescribing services<\/a>\u00a0have emerged, which may fill this void. However, there are concerns about the quality of care because some online prescribers\u00a0do not speak directly to the patient<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0fewer GPs bulk billing<\/a>, there are also substantial patient costs involved in seeking a prescription for nicotine vapes.<\/p>\n

The current law risks criminalising people who vape nicotine without a prescription because possession without a prescription is illegal. The\u00a0maximum penalties<\/a>\u00a0vary from a fine of A$45,000 in Western Australia to two years in jail in the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory.<\/p>\n

The ACT minister for population health, Emma Davidson, is reportedly\u00a0working on a bill<\/a>\u00a0to remove the penalties for unauthorised personal possession of nicotine vapes in the ACT.<\/p>\n

However, a simpler option would be to\u00a0change the classification of nicotine vapes<\/a>\u00a0from prescription-only (schedule 4) to pharmacist-only (schedule 3). This would allow pharmacists to supply nicotine vapes without a prescription.<\/p>\n

Additional requirements could be added, such as banning advertising of vapes, and standards for providing in-pharmacy smoking cessation counselling alongside vaping product supply.<\/p>\n

As well as removing penalties for possession without a prescription, other possible benefits would include reduced costs and greater access for patients. This model also retains health practitioner oversight of vaping product supply.<\/p>\n

What other options are being discussed?<\/h4>\n

Some lobbyists are promoting the idea all vaping products\u00a0should be regulated like tobacco<\/a>. This would allow vaping products, including those containing nicotine, to be sold by general retailers to people aged 18 and over with no health practitioner involvement.<\/p>\n

While some\u00a0political parties<\/a>\u00a0support this model, most Australian health and medical organisations\u00a0do not<\/a>. Regulating vapes like tobacco may seem like a reasonable option, but there are several factors to consider.<\/p>\n

The widespread availability of tobacco\u00a0makes quitting smoking difficult<\/a>\u00a0and encourages\u00a0youth to experiment with smoking<\/a>. Widespread retailing of vaping products is likely to have a similar effect for vaping.<\/p>\n

We also know general retailers have\u00a0sold vapes to children<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Are pharmacists up to the task?<\/h4>\n

Pharmacists are governed by professional standards and the\u00a0Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency<\/a>. Strong sanctions, including restrictions on practice, can occur for pharmacists who do not comply with professional standards and laws, such as illegal supply of medicines.<\/p>\n

Pharmacists currently supply other pharmacist-only (schedule 3<\/a>) medicines directly to the public. These include pseudoephedrine (cold and flu medicines), salbutamol (asthma puffers) and naloxone (for reversing an opioid overdose).<\/p>\n

Some people may be concerned that without a prescription, certain customers may purchase nicotine vapes to supply to youth illegally. However, pharmacists have previously developed innovative ways to reduce diversion of medicines where this has become a problem.<\/p>\n

For example, pseudoephedrine can be used to make methamphetamine. Real-time monitoring of sales of cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine\u00a0has reduced the diversion<\/a>\u00a0of these medicines from pharmacies into methamphetamine production.<\/p>\n

Further, after\u00a0additional planned reforms<\/a>\u00a0are implemented this year, the types of vaping products that pharmacies can supply \u2013 only tobacco, mint or menthol flavoured vapes sold in plain pharmaceutical packaging \u2013 will be less attractive to youth.<\/p>\n

Pharmacists already play an important role in supplying smoking cessation nicotine products and services. They offer advice and counselling about the full range of assistance and medications available for quitting smoking.<\/p>\n

Therefore, pharmacist-only supply of nicotine vaping products without a prescription would utilise the skills, knowledge and accessibility of pharmacists to support people who wish to use nicotine vapes to quit smoking, while preventing inappropriate sales to youth.<\/p>\n

Coral Gartner<\/strong> is Director of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame at the University of Queensland, Australia. Kathryn Steadman<\/strong> is Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Queensland, Australia. Lisa Nissen<\/strong> is HERA Program Director in the Health Workforce Optimisation Centre for the Business & Economics of Health at the University of Queensland, Australia.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coral Gartner, Kathryn Steadman, Lisa Nissen In Australia, nicotine-containing vape products are only available on prescription, and reforms to further restrict the availability of vaping products are planned which will make the country’s vaping laws among the most restrictive in the world. In a recent Special Communication, Professor Coral Gartner and colleagues argue for an […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[537,2150,6939],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia","category-end-game","category-vaping"],"yoast_head":"\nSenior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia. - Blog - Tobacco Control<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia. - Blog - Tobacco Control\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Coral Gartner, Kathryn Steadman, Lisa Nissen In Australia, nicotine-containing vape products are only available on prescription, and reforms to further restrict the availability of vaping products are planned which will make the country’s vaping laws among the most restrictive in the world. In a recent Special Communication, Professor Coral Gartner and colleagues argue for an [...]Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog - Tobacco Control\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-19T12:27:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karen Evans-Reeves\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Karen Evans-Reeves\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Karen Evans-Reeves\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/54532df55adae21b94895af061aca282\"},\"headline\":\"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia.\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-19T12:27:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1048,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Australia\",\"End Game\",\"Vaping\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/\",\"name\":\"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia. - Blog - Tobacco Control\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-19T12:27:45+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/19\\\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blog - Tobacco Control\",\"description\":\"A space to discuss the wider issues of tobacco control beyond the journal.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Blog - Tobacco Control\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/files\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/blog-logo-tobacco-control.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/files\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/blog-logo-tobacco-control.png\",\"width\":255,\"height\":34,\"caption\":\"Blog - Tobacco Control\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/54532df55adae21b94895af061aca282\",\"name\":\"Karen Evans-Reeves\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f8e72946f082639f0b9a86f6061c5de143826588afd385491c0a2468d171c670?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f8e72946f082639f0b9a86f6061c5de143826588afd385491c0a2468d171c670?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f8e72946f082639f0b9a86f6061c5de143826588afd385491c0a2468d171c670?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Karen Evans-Reeves\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/tc\\\/author\\\/kevansreeves\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia. - Blog - Tobacco Control","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia. - Blog - Tobacco Control","og_description":"Coral Gartner, Kathryn Steadman, Lisa Nissen In Australia, nicotine-containing vape products are only available on prescription, and reforms to further restrict the availability of vaping products are planned which will make the country’s vaping laws among the most restrictive in the world. In a recent Special Communication, Professor Coral Gartner and colleagues argue for an [...]Read More...","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/","og_site_name":"Blog - Tobacco Control","article_published_time":"2024-04-19T12:27:45+00:00","author":"Karen Evans-Reeves","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Karen Evans-Reeves","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/"},"author":{"name":"Karen Evans-Reeves","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#\/schema\/person\/54532df55adae21b94895af061aca282"},"headline":"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia.","datePublished":"2024-04-19T12:27:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/"},"wordCount":1048,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Australia","End Game","Vaping"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/","name":"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia. - Blog - Tobacco Control","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-04-19T12:27:45+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/2024\/04\/19\/senior-researchers-present-their-case-for-why-pharmacists-should-be-able-to-dispense-nicotine-vapes-without-a-prescription-in-australia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Senior researchers present their case for why pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription in Australia."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/","name":"Blog - Tobacco Control","description":"A space to discuss the wider issues of tobacco control beyond the journal.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#organization","name":"Blog - Tobacco Control","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/files\/2017\/10\/blog-logo-tobacco-control.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/files\/2017\/10\/blog-logo-tobacco-control.png","width":255,"height":34,"caption":"Blog - Tobacco Control"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/#\/schema\/person\/54532df55adae21b94895af061aca282","name":"Karen Evans-Reeves","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e72946f082639f0b9a86f6061c5de143826588afd385491c0a2468d171c670?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e72946f082639f0b9a86f6061c5de143826588afd385491c0a2468d171c670?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e72946f082639f0b9a86f6061c5de143826588afd385491c0a2468d171c670?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Karen Evans-Reeves"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/author\/kevansreeves\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1725\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/tc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}