The College is developing a formal equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy to support the College’s public interest mandate and further enhance the College’s role as Ontario’s pharmacy regulator. As a first step, the College’s Board approved a statement expressing the College’s EDI commitment and the relevance of this work to the College’s public interest mandate and the profession as a whole. EDI strategy development will be completed in collaboration with stakeholders, including pharmacy professionals…
The College is expanding on its existing commitment to cultivate Indigenous Cultural Competency to promote a broader understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and how it can help support an inclusive and equitable health system. Recognizing its role as the provincial pharmacy regulator and the role that pharmacy professionals can play in addressing healthcare disparities, the College is well positioned to work collaboratively with pharmacy, regulatory and health system partners to help drive positive…
Reviewed by Detective Constable Allan Dean, Peel Regional Police. Over the last several months, the occurrence of robberies in pharmacies seems to be escalating. While there is no one action that can prevent a robbery, there are steps pharmacies can take to decrease the risk and protect staff and property. Pharmacies are encouraged to work with their community partners, including police, to assist with deterring offences and contributing to a successful resolution of investigations. Pharmacy…
Ontario Health is offering patient healthcare information to pharmacies, including laboratory results, dispensed medications, and acute care data through one of two provincial clinical viewers that are designated by region—ConnectingOntario and ClinicalConnect. The viewers provide a dynamic, near real-time view of patients’ health information to support the delivery of pharmacy services such as medication management and counselling, MedsChecks, Pharmaceutical Opinions, and other patient care services at no cost to pharmacies. Community pharmacist Zachary Thompson onboarded…
Practice Insight explores concerns reported to the College as part of the complaints and reports process that present learning opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This close up on a complaint reminds registrants that clear communication is essential for providing appropriate and comprehensive patient care. Communication-related concerns are among some of the top reasons for complaints from patients to the College. Nearly 44 percent of formal complaints received by the College in 2021 include communication as a…
Decisions of the Discipline Committee between September 2021 and March 2022. Syed Zaidi (OCP #212677) At a hearing on January 12, 2022, a Panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of professional misconduct against Syed Zaidi (the Registrant) with respect to the following incidents: READ MORE He engaged in assault on or around December 14, 2015, which is an offence under section 266 of the Criminal Code; He failed to report to the College’s Registrar…
Drug scheduling refers to the process of determining the classification of a health product. Health Canada and the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) have distinct roles in the drug scheduling process in Canada, with each organization performing specific functions. The process begins with Health Canada, who determines whether the drug requires a prescription for sale. NAPRA’s scheduling process starts when a drug is classified as non-prescription by Health Canada and the result of…
The College has developed a framework outlining three guiding principles that drug preparation premises and registrants should adhere to in order to ensure an environment and culture that promotes patient, compounding personnel and healthcare provider safety. Drug Preparation Premises A Drug Preparation Premises (DPP) is any place where a pharmacist or pharmacy technician engages in drug preparation activities, or where drug preparation activities take place that a pharmacist or pharmacy technician supervises. DPPs do not…
By: Albert Karas, Director, Pharmacy Services, Humber River Hospital The prevalence of cyberattacks is on the rise across Canada and the healthcare sector is increasingly becoming a target. There is a need for heightened vigilance across all pharmacy practice environments to help ensure the functionality of core pharmacy processes and the protection of patient information. Albert Karas is the Director of Pharmacy Services at Humber River Hospital. Here, he recounts how a malware attack impacted…
This article demonstrates how pharmacy professionals can apply the AIMS Program to an incident related to the similarity of drug names that was highlighted in our Focus on Error Prevention series. Click here to read Part I of the article. Imagine you are the pharmacist who, when speaking with the patient, catches this near miss event. Near misses are events that could have led to inappropriate medication use or patient harm but were intercepted before…
