Pharmaceutical Review (www.pharmareview.wordpress.com). Modified from; Regina Leader-Post; SNN March 9, 2011.
Do you have a question or concern about your medication? Why not ask the drug expert on your medical team -a pharmacist.
Pharmacists make sure patients have the right drug and the drug is right for them, said Ray Joubert, registrar of the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacists (SCP).
“If there’s an issue or problem or concern that a pharmacist might have, that’s where they would collaborate with you, as a patient, or with your physician or other caregivers to make sure that the drug is right for you under the circumstances, and then make it right for you in terms of helping you understand how to take it properly, what to do if there are side-effects and what kind of response you should be looking for.”
As of Friday, pharmacists can now prescribe medications for certain illnesses in addition to extending refills on existing prescriptions and providing emergency supplies of prescribed drugs.
There are two levels of prescriptive authority. Level 1 allows qualified pharmacists to prescribe medications in these situations:
1. Continuing therapy -interim supplies and maintenance;
2. Previously prescribed drugs in emergency situations;
3. Incomplete or inaccurate prescriptions;
4. Refills during a doctor’s absence;
5. Self-care of minor ailments where a prescription drug is more effective; and
6. When a patient moves from one setting in the healthcare system to another.
Level 2 includes provisions for pharmacists with advanced skills to alter dosages of drugs, such as the blood thinner warfarin, by working with physicians under collaborative prescribing agreements.
“If a patient is stabilized on a particular dosage of warfarin and runs out of their prescription, a pharmacist could advance that particular strength at that particular dosage until your next visit to your doctor at Level 1,” Joubert said. “But if the patient is not stabilized and the pharmacist has a collaborative practice agreement with a physician or group of physicians, they can adjust your dosage and strength according to the bloodwork that you as a pharmacist would be receiving.”
To help the public understand the new role of pharmacists as prescribers, the SCP has created the website www.mypharmacistknows.com, which includes a frequently asked questions section. However, no website can replace a pharmacist, Joubert said.
“When it comes to specific drug-related questions, that’s best handled at the pharmacy level with your pharmacist,” he said. “Strike up a relationship with your pharmacist such that they can know about you as a person and as a patient so they can provide the drug therapy that you need.”
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