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 pharmacists of their duty to provide patient counselling for new medication prescriptions, verify a medication prior to dispensing and keep clear, accurate and legible records. Dispensing Error Accelerates Planned Surgery A patient’s mother arrived at a pharmacy to pick up two prescriptions for…
When considering a pharmacy renovation—whether to meet growing needs of evolving practices, new activities such as COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, or to meet standards such as NAPRA’s Model Standards for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-Sterile Preparations—a well thought out renovation plan will help create a space that encourages and supports safe and appropriate workflow and optimizes the delivery of patient care. The case study below provides an example of a real-world renovation consideration and guides Designated…
Charlotte Boone, RPh, PharmD1,2Mark Barnes, RPh, BScPhm1Maria Zhang, RPh, BScPhm, PharmD, MSc.2,3Beth Sproule, RPh, BScPhm, PharmD2,31 Respect Rx Pharmacy, Ottawa, Ontario.2 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario.3 Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. In 2020 there were 6,214 opioid-related deaths across Canada [1], with 2,426 (39%) taking place in Ontario. [2] Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an almost 80% increase in opioid-related deaths in Ontario…
Safeguarding patient information is a critical component of pharmacy practice. All regulated health professionals in Ontario—including pharmacists and pharmacy technicians—are legally and ethically obligated to protect the confidentiality of a patient’s personal health information. But are there situations where it may be appropriate to disclose a patient’s personal health information without their express consent? Ontario’s Rules Surrounding Personal Health Information Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) sets out rules for the collection, use and disclosure of…
To mark Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW), we are taking a look at the importance of pharmacies establishing a culture of medication safety—with the goal of enhancing patient safety by identifying medication errors and making continuous quality improvements that prevent similar occurrences in the future. Pharmacy professionals will often hear the term “culture of medication safety” and wonder exactly what it means—after all, culture can be a challenging concept to define. In pharmacies, a culture…
Decisions of the Discipline Committee between March 2021 and June 2021. Felix Odigie (OCP #605289) At a hearing on March 8, 2021, a Panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of professional misconduct against Felix Odigie, while engaged in the practice of pharmacy as a Designated Manager and/or dispensing pharmacist and/or as a director and/or shareholder of the corporation that owned and/or operated the Pharmacy, with respect to two referrals from the Inquiries, Complaints and…
Ontario continues to see the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, which has been heightened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ontario experienced a significant rise in opioid-related deaths in 2020 versus 2019 as community support services and safe consumption sites closed and harm reduction approaches that included not using drugs alone had to be abandoned during stay-at-home orders. With the aim of harm reduction and minimizing opioid-related overdoses and deaths, there has been…
February 2026: This article has been edited from the original to reflect updated information on AIMS and remove information on Quality Indicators. Learning from medication safety incidents and near misses is an important part of reducing the risk of patient harm. And one of the best ways to identify and address the root causes of medication errors in a pharmacy is through a process of continuous quality improvement (CQI). When a medication safety incident occurs,…
With many pharmacies managing both flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, Pharmacy Connection is sharing five tips to make flu season easier on your pharmacy: Know the Requirements To administer the flu vaccine to patients two years or older, pharmacists, pharmacy students and interns must: Be in a pharmacy participating in Ontario’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP), Have completed a College-approved injection training course and registered their training with the College, and Hold a valid certification in…
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 of their duty in determining the appropriateness of advertising based on legislative requirements and professional responsibilities. Pharmacy Offers Free Breakfast for New Patients As part of a pharmacy’s opening week promotion, an advertisement was distributed providing an incentive—a free breakfast for two—when patients…
