As regulated healthcare professionals, and under the Regulated Health Professions Act, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, employers and facility operators have obligations to report certain information to the College. These obligations are in place to protect patients and contribute to safe and effective pharmacy care. Employers (e.g. pharmacy owner, DM) must file a report with the College if a registrant’s employment is terminated, they are suspended or other privileges are revoked for reasons of professional misconduct, incompetence…
By Ian Stewart R.Ph, B.Sc.Phm. Pharmaceutical manufacturers often create line extensions of brand name products to provide new strengths and delivery mechanisms. Though these XR, LA, CD, SR, XL, MR, ER, and CR products may increase adherence, their similarity to the original product may be a contributing factor to medication errors. Proper assessment is necessary to ensure that the patient receives the correct drug and dose. CASE: A sixty-one year old patient took the above…
Decisions of the Discipline Committee between August and September 2019. Kimberly MacPhee (OCP #206688) At a hearing on August 7, 2019, a Panel of the Discipline Committee made findings of professional misconduct against Ms. MacPhee in that she: READ MORE Operated a pharmacy without accreditation from at least May 12, 2017 to May 29, 2017, including compounding and dispensing medications, contrary to sections 139 and 147 of the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act; Dispensed medications…
Grant Fuller, PharmD Candidate 1,2Kendra Carroll, HBSc, PharmD Candidate 2,3Alan Ho Lun Li, BPharm Candidate 4Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd, PhD 2,31 School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo2 Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada3 Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto4 School of Pharmacy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong INTRODUCTION The kidneys are one of the main organs responsible for eliminating drugs from the body. Decreased renal function may lead to reduced…
Christine Bucago, RN, MN, CPMHN(C) 1,2Hermia Cheung, RPh, BScPhm, MSc1Maria Zhang, RPh, BScPhm, PharmD, MSc1,31Centre for Addiction and Mental Health2Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing3Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto Suicide is a major public health concern worldwide. In Canada, approximately 4,000 people die by suicide every year and approximately 90% of these individuals lived with a mental health problem or illness 1. Every suicide is a tragedy that has lasting impacts on…
“Close-Up on Complaints” explores incidents reported to the College that have occurred in the provision of patient care and which present learning opportunities. Ideally, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will be able to identify areas of potential concern within their own practice, and plan and implement measures to help avoid similar incidents from occurring in the future. Summary of the Incident A patient visited her community pharmacy to pick up her prescription which had been dropped…
Grant Fuller, PharmD Candidate1,2Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd, PhD 2,31 School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo2 Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada3 Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto CASE EXAMPLE Mr. Jones, a patient of your pharmacy, states that he has been feeling nauseated and has had a few episodes of diarrhea ever since he picked up his new prescription two days ago. Upon examining his pharmacy profile and the medication vial…
Pharmacies engaged in non-sterile compounding must undertake a risk assessment to identify the appropriate level (A, B or C) of precautions required to provide adequate protection for personnel and to minimize the risk of contaminating the preparation. This article focuses on the protection of personnel and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as described in the NAPRA Model Standards for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-Sterile Preparations and accompanying Guidance Document. The standards define PPE as…
By Ian Stewart R.Ph, B.Sc.Phm. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are often under pressure to process prescriptions and dispense medications quickly and efficiently. The use of technology is one strategy employed to achieve these operational efficiencies. Many pharmacy computer software products permit the auto-population of fields during computer entry in an effort to save time. For example, upon entering the name of a drug into the computer, the system auto-populates the common directions for its use.…
Framing written information in a clear and concise way when communicating to prescribers is essential to the delivery of effective patient care. This responsibility falls under the communication and education domain observed during community practice assessments and is outlined in the NAPRA Standards of Practice for pharmacists. Effective and efficient messages are an extension of the critical role played by pharmacists within the circle of care. In addition to conveying information relevant to patient care,…
