Access to Ontario Health’s digital health services, including clinical viewers, supports pharmacy professionals in their delivery of safe and effective care. This article shares important reminders from Ontario Health when pharmacy professionals are requesting access to digital health services. Whether you are applying for digital health services for the first time or updating your organization’s details, ensuring that your Online Request Form (ORF) submission is complete and accurate helps avoid delays and maintains uninterrupted access.…
Supporting continuous quality improvement (CQI) and reducing the risk of patient harm from medication incidents in, or involving, Ontario pharmacies is at the heart of the Assurance and Improvement in Medication Safety (AIMS) Program. By identifying how medication incidents could occur in their own pharmacy, pharmacy professionals can implement quality improvement strategies that strengthen processes and reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future. One aspect of AIMS that is often overlooked is the…
Decisions of the Discipline Committee between November 2025 and January 2026. Maged Hanna (OCP #215337) At a hearing on October 17, 2025, a Panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of professional misconduct against Maged Hanna in that, while his certificate of registration was suspended, he: READ MORE Worked at Disera Medical Pharmacy in Thornhill, Ontario (the “Pharmacy”); and Held himself out as a pharmacist to patients and/or customers of the Pharmacy. In particular, the…
Complete, up-to-date and accurate patient records enhance patient safety by supporting continuity of care, inter- and intra-professional delivery of care, and optimized decision making. Pharmacy technicians play an important role by gathering, reviewing, entering and/or updating the information in a patient record. They can also conduct a Best Possible Medication History (BPMH) to support the pharmacist’s clinical assessment and decision-making. In all patient interactions that pharmacy technicians have, they must ensure that the information provided by the…
Important changes to the Assurance and Improvement in Medication Safety (AIMS) Program will take effect on January 1, 2027. This article provides Designated Managers and pharmacy professionals with an overview of how they can continue to meet the requirements of the AIMS Program during the 2026 transition. Changes Will Support Program Engagement and Patient Safety AIMS is an important program that helps keep patients safe. The consistent and mandatory standard for medication safety for all…
The College’s practice advisors routinely conduct practice assessments of Part A pharmacy technicians in their Designated Practice Assessment (DPA) site. This article shares the most common misconceptions advisors have encountered about the activities that pharmacy technicians can perform. For each item, we highlight what pharmacy technicians can () and can’t do () and share other important information to know. It is important for patient safety that pharmacy technicians know and practice within their scope of…
Time-delayed safes and associated signage are important tools to help deter pharmacy robberies. In March 2023, the College’s Board of Directors approved the requirement for all community pharmacies to use time-delayed safes for securing narcotics. Additionally, community pharmacies are required to prominently display College-approved time-delayed safe signage at each public entrance to the pharmacy and in or adjacent to the dispensary area. These expectations are outlined in the College’s Time-Delayed Safes Policy. Designated Managers were…
Decisions of the Discipline Committee between July 2025 and October 2025. Hanan Shenouda (OCP #626802) At a hearing on July 15, 2025, a Panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of professional misconduct against Hanan Shenouda, from in or about May 2021 to in or about May 2022, while engaged in the practice of pharmacy as pharmacist and/or Designated Manager at Ultimate Service Specialty Rx pharmacy in Toronto, Ontario (the “Pharmacy”), in that she: READ…
The College has embarked on a pilot project testing how we can expand our focus during community pharmacy operational assessments to include outcomes. This work aligns with our mandate to ensure safe and quality care that meets the standards of practice, and, in particular, our commitment to addressing business pressures that interfere with pharmacy professionals’ ability to meet these standards. This article describes our approach, why it’s important and how you can ensure your pharmacy…
Decisions of the Discipline Committee between April 2025 and June 2025. Bankole Kuye (OCP #212600) At a hearing on April 1, 2025, a Panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of professional misconduct against Bankole Kuye, while he was an owner, pharmacist and the Designated Manager at [the “Pharmacy”], with respect to the following incidents: READ MORE On or about March 11, 2010, he was found guilty of one count of assault, which is an…
