Pharmacy Professionals

While the regulations authorizing pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments do not include age restrictions, it is possible that characteristics such as age may be relevant to the treatment of specific minor ailments. Pharmacists should conduct a patient assessment and use their knowledge, skills and judgment along with available clinical treatment algorithms to determine whether age or any other factor might indicate that prescribing for a particular minor ailment is contraindicated. If a decision is made not to prescribe, that decision must be explained to the patient along with a follow-up plan for monitoring and/or next steps. This could include a referral to another healthcare provider. 

The Virtual Care policy defines virtual care as a professional interaction between a registrant and a patient that occurs remotely using secure enabling technology that facilitates registrant-patient interaction for example, videoconferencing. Care provided over the telephone, if it is in accordance with the definition above, would classify as virtual care. On the other hand, routine phone calls that are administrative or clerical in nature would not be classified as virtual care.

Key elements for the registrant to consider when determining if an interaction would be classified as virtual care might include:

• The interaction is within the scope of practice of a pharmacy professional as described in the Pharmacy Act and the Standards of Practice (e.g., the provision of information and education related to drugs and devices; the monitoring and management of medication therapy; recommending or prescribing self-care or drug therapies, etc.)
• The interaction and patient care provided should be documented on the patient record to ensure continuity of care as per standards and guidelines.
• The interaction is not appropriate for assigning to an unregulated personnel due to the nature or content of the discussion

Examples of virtual care interactions include:

• Educating a patient on the use of a medical device
• Educating a patient about their medication therapy
• Conducting a medication review

The scope of practice and authorized acts for pharmacy professionals is defined in the Pharmacy Act s 3, 4. Out of these, only the “dispensing, selling or compounding a drug or supervising the part of a pharmacy where drugs are kept” must take place in an accredited pharmacy, as per the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act. A pharmacy professional’s cognitive skills and knowledge reside with the individual registrant and may be used in a variety of practice settings. The Virtual Care Policy reminds registrants of their obligations to maintain privacy and confidentiality and, as health information custodians, to meet the requirements of the Personal Health Information Protection Act. There are Quick Links to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) available as additional resources on the OCP website for more information on this topic, including the IPC Guideline – Privacy and Security Considerations for Virtual Healthcare Visits.

Expectations for documenting the care provided are the same whether care is provided virtually or in person. Specific record-keeping and length of retention requirements, set out in PART VII.3 of O. Reg 202/94 and in the Record Retention, Disclosure, and Disposal Guideline, must also be met. When practicing outside of a pharmacy, it is the registrant’s duty to exercise due diligence implementing procedures that will fulfill these professional and legal responsibilities.

Some of the reasons you might reach out to the OPHP include:

• You are struggling with your mental health or substance use.
• Your normal mental health supports are not as effective, or you need new supports.
• You need help navigating the mental health system.
• Your mental health or substance use is affecting your relationships, work or ability to engage in day-to-day activities.

You can always call 1-844-931-0007 to discuss whether OPHP might be right for you before committing to the program.