Skip the doctor's office, go right to the drugstore

I shudder when I read the first paragraph of this article. While I am in favour of pharmacist prescribing, we have to remember the difference between prescribing and diagnosing. Pharmacists aren't trained to diagnose most ailments. Our role needs to be the optimizers of drug therapy, but this is after a dignosis is made. I can adjust warfarin dosages at least as capably as a physician, but I can't diagnose any of the conditions that would lead to being on the drug such as a deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or atrial fibrillation for example.

From the Globe and Mail:
Should a nasty cold or poison ivy require a trip to the doctor to get a prescription? What about an earache, urinary tract infection or something as serious as a pre-existing heart problem?

Those are the questions many health professionals across Canada are grappling with as more provinces look to grant pharmacists greater power to prescribe drugs.

This week, an advisory council to Ontario's Health Ministry recommended that pharmacists in the province be allowed to write prescriptions for minor conditions, adjust dosages, extend prescriptions and order laboratory tests in some instances.

The move follows developments across the country to expand the role of pharmacists. ...more