Thursday, February 12, 2009

Let pharmacists prescribe: advisory council

From the Sault (ON) Star:
Pharmacists will play a larger role in the delivery of health care, including being able to write some prescriptions and adapt existing ones, if the provincial government accepts several proposals before it.

With guidance from the Ontario Pharmacists' Association and Ontario College of Pharmacists, the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council released a report last month recommending changes to the scope of practice for a number of medical professions.

"The idea is for a more collaborative health care system, so it's not just doctors doing everything but everybody working together," said Tina Perlman, chair of the OPA board of directors.

Perlman, a Sault Ste. Marie native who now works as a community pharmacist in London, was here Monday to host the annual district meeting. She said pharmacists are keen to better use the skills they graduate with after a minimum six years of study.

According to the report, Canadian pharmacy programs turn out graduates "who would be equally competent in the skill of prescribing drugs and managing drugs" as medical students. The difference is those medical students then go on to hone their skills in residency and practice. ...more

No comments: