Tim Brady
Ontario pharmacists are proud to help more patients get the care they need, faster and closer to home, while relieving pressure on a strained healthcare system.
Since the start of the new year, pharmacists can now assess patients and treat 13 minor conditions, such as pink eye, eczema and uncomplicated bladder infections. Previously, pharmacists could only recommend over-the-counter products to treat these conditions, and patients had to visit their primary care provider, walk-in clinic or local hospital for a prescription if needed.
After taking on a bigger role in the fight against COVID-19 – including administering more than 10 million COVID vaccines and nearly 1 million COVID tests – pharmacists are seizing the opportunity to provide rapid access to community care to patients.
Ontario follows eight other provinces that are already enjoying the benefits of minor ailment programs, with many provinces making the move years ago.
As with any significant policy change, especially in a complex area like health care, it is unrealistic to expect universal support. However, it has been disheartening to hear some critics attempt to criticize a policy that aims to improve health care and access to care for so many people.
This change in provincial policy allows us to maximize the benefits of our clinical training and expertise while helping patients better manage their health. Evidence of patient benefits from other Canadian jurisdictions demonstrates that this can be implemented safely and effectively with high levels of patient satisfaction.
It makes sense to call on the unique skills of the pharmacist. Evidence from other regions strongly supports that pharmacists prescribe antibiotics in a very responsible way — after all, we are the experts at finding the right medicine, for the right patient and for the right reasons. The most appropriate way to use medicines, including antibiotics, is a fundamental part of what pharmacists do every day and the ability to prescribe does not change how we approach this central role.
Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals with experience and training in assessing and treating our patients and identifying when something that seems simple may signal something more serious that requires a referral. We are a regulated healthcare profession, like other healthcare providers, bound by a code of ethics to provide care only in the best interests of our patients.
In my own community pharmacy in the Windsor area, I have already seen firsthand the benefits for patients. In areas of southwestern Ontario where there is a shortage of doctors and no local walk-in clinics, patients have been able to find care in their neighborhood without having to travel to the local hospital, which was their only option until this change.
I have heard many colleagues from other communities share similar stories and say that patients welcome the possibility of being treated by their local pharmacist. The vast majority of Ontario residents — more than nine in 10 people — live within five kilometers of a pharmacy.
We help people in all parts of the province, including rural and remote areas, manage their health. The ability to help patients in real time is a huge advantage. Our role has always been to perform these assessments, but now we can offer prescription treatment without having to discharge the patient only to return hours or days later with the exact treatment we have already discussed.
I watch my colleagues in hospitals and medical practices work under more pressure than ever. I hear more stories of burnout and exhaustion. We all do everything we can to support our patients. However, the needs continue to grow as we recover from the pandemic and our populations grow and age. Pharmacist-led assessment and treatment of these minor health conditions is one way to begin to address some of these unmet needs in our communities while freeing up time for doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers. health care focuses on more complex care cases.
I want our healthcare partners to know that we are here for you. We’re proud to help our healthcare system and you ease the pressure so you can focus on the patients who need you most.