We have been receiving emailed prescriptions from prescribers, and sometimes prescribers are emailing prescriptions directly to their patients. Are these emailed prescriptions valid for dispensing? How should we handle these situations?

Regular e-mail (as opposed to a secure healthcare portal) is not a secure medium for prescription transmission.¹ In addition to cybersecurity risks, when a prescriber e-mails a prescription directly to a patient, it increases the likelihood of fraud and duplication of the prescription. Therefore, unsecured email is not an acceptable mechanism for transmitting prescriptions, especially for monitored drugs and those listed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). 

Upon receiving a prescription via unsecured email, pharmacists are encouraged to contact the prescriber to verify its authenticity and collaborate with them and the patient to determine the best method of transmitting a prescription from the prescriber directly to the pharmacy via established channels (e.g., fax, verbal confirmation, secure electronic transmission). 

There may be times when a pharmacist needs to use their professional judgement when accepting an e-mailed prescription – for example, when a prescriber cannot be reached and the patient is at risk of going without necessary medication. In these cases, pharmacists should exercise their professional judgment in determining whether to dispense the prescription and follow-up with the prescriber at the earliest available time. Prescribers should also seek guidance from their regulatory College. 

Reference 

1. Information and Privacy Commissioner Ontario. Fact Sheet: Communicating Personal Health Information by Email (2016). Retrieved at https://www.ipc.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Health-Fact-Sheet-Communicating-PHI-by-Email-FINAL.pdf.