The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) sets out the governing framework for Ontario’s 26 regulated health professionals, including defining 13 “controlled acts” which may pose a risk to the public if not performed by a qualified practitioner. Each health profession has a Health Profession Act that defines the specific health profession’s scope of practice, restricted titles, and the controlled acts they are authorized to perform. At present, eight of the 26 Health Profession Acts…
A Pan-Canadian Consensus Guideline Authors: Dr. Kathy Vu1,2, Ms. Heather Logan3, Ms. Erika Brown3, Ms. Suzzette Oriasel2 Introduction Community pharmacists will encounter more oral anti-cancer drugs (OACD) in their pharmacies. Approximately 46%1 to 60%2 of cancer drugs that are coming out of the oncology pipeline are oral agents. OACD are commonly used alone or in combination with intravenous (IV) systemic treatment as part of a regimen. These agents may also be referred to as take-home…
AuthorsNav GillRPh, BSc Psych, BSc Phm, CRE,Kaila MacMillan,RPh, BScPhm, ACPR Case Vignette 1: Colleen* was in the office again. She was a complex patient. Suffering from schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she also had other medical concerns. Her Hb A1c was 14.1%. Her blood pressure was 150/90 mmHg. Colleen was tentative about the referrals her doctor was recommending. A dietitian sounded like the last thing she wanted – someone to judge her for what…
By Ian Stewart B.Sc.Phm., R.Ph. Pharmacy professionals usually use the assigned Drug Identification Number (DIN) of a drug product to confirm that the correct product is being dispensed. The DIN is a computer-generated number assigned by Health Canada to a drug product that uniquely identifies the following product characteristics: manufacturer; product name; active ingredient(s); strength(s) of active ingredient(s); pharmaceutical form; and routeof administration1. Pharmacists should be aware of the potential for error when two different…
“Close-Up on Complaints” presents errors that occur when providing patient care so that pharmacy professionals can use them as 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 The incident occurred when a mother was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy for her two…
As healthcare professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are required by law to make certain reports when they become aware of adverse reactions to vaccines. The Standards of Practice also require that pharmacists, when providing patient care, report the occurrence of adverse reactions involving medication or health products. An adverse reaction is defined as a harmful and unintended effect from use of a health products.1 Pharmacy professionals are not required to be certain that a particular…
Advancements in technology have made it possible to deliver pharmacy services in new ways, including online and through specialty apps. Regardless of the mechanism used to receive and dispense prescriptions, Designated Managers are reminded that they are responsible for the privacy and security of personal health information and that all services offered should be adhering to standards of practice, legislation, policies and guidelines. Due diligence is needed to ensure that the software being used has…
By Ian Stewart B.Sc.Phm., R.Ph. When reviewing prescriptions for appropriateness, pharmacists must consider the indication for use of the drug. It is difficult to confirm that the right patient is receiving the right drug at the right dose at the right time via the right route for the correct duration if the purpose of the medication is not known. Unfortunately this key piece of information is often missing. A common indication for clopidogrel bisulfate is…
Reliable Documentation is a fundamental component of a pharmacy professional’s responsibilities. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must know and understand when and how to document their actions related to dispensing and therapeutic activities. For all prescriptions, both new and refill, documentation should reliably demonstrate that each prescription has been reviewed for both technical and clinical aspects before it is dispensed to the patient. Each completed prescription record must contain the signature, or some other identifying mechanism,…
“Close-Up on Complaints” presents issues that occur in practice so that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can use them as 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 issue This issue occurred when a pharmacist placed an advertisement for physicians to work in the medical clinic…
