January/February 2009 - Ontario College of Pharmacists
January/February 2009 - Ontario College of Pharmacists
January/February 2009 - Ontario College of Pharmacists
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
council report<br />
colleges and pr<strong>of</strong>essional associations<br />
whose members may prescribe<br />
or administer drugs as part <strong>of</strong> their<br />
practice, were invited by HPRAC to<br />
a briefing respecting their review <strong>of</strong><br />
Non-Physician Prescribing and Administration<br />
<strong>of</strong> Drugs under the Regulated<br />
Health Pr<strong>of</strong>essions Act and<br />
were invited to submit comments respecting<br />
this matter by November 12,<br />
2008.<br />
While much <strong>of</strong> the information<br />
previously submitted in the “Scope<br />
<strong>of</strong> Practice for Pharmacy” documents<br />
applies to this review as well in this<br />
new review, the <strong>College</strong> focuses on<br />
the actual activities required for pharmacists<br />
to fully realize their roles in<br />
Medication Therapy Management,<br />
namely adapting, modifying and extending<br />
prescriptions, and administering<br />
drugs by inhalation and injection.<br />
In mid November, the Hon. David<br />
Caplan, Minister <strong>of</strong> Health and<br />
Long-Term Care <strong>of</strong> <strong>Ontario</strong> released<br />
Health Pr<strong>of</strong>essions Regulatory Advisory<br />
Council’s (HPRAC) Interim<br />
Report to the Minister <strong>of</strong> Health and<br />
Long-Term Care on Mechanisms to<br />
Facilitate and Support Interpr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
Collaboration among Health<br />
<strong>College</strong>s and Regulated Health Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals:<br />
Phase ll, Part l. In this report,<br />
HPRAC has included its report<br />
and recommendations respecting<br />
the scope <strong>of</strong> practice review <strong>of</strong> four<br />
regulated health pr<strong>of</strong>essions, namely,<br />
Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Midwifery,<br />
and Dietetics.<br />
The key recommendations included<br />
in the report are as follows:<br />
Support <strong>of</strong> a Scope <strong>of</strong> Practice Statement<br />
(HPRAC has supported the<br />
<strong>College</strong>’s proposals respecting adding<br />
the pharmacist’s role in Medication<br />
Therapy Management. HPRAC<br />
has also changed “provision <strong>of</strong> information<br />
relating to…..” to “providing<br />
education relating to their use”).<br />
Support <strong>of</strong> the addition <strong>of</strong> four new<br />
Controlled Acts (HPRAC has supported<br />
the addition <strong>of</strong> four new controlled<br />
or authorized acts, subject to<br />
terms and conditions proposed by<br />
the <strong>College</strong>. These include: prescribing,<br />
skin pricking, administration <strong>of</strong> a<br />
substance by injection and administration<br />
<strong>of</strong> a substance by inhalation).<br />
HPRAC further recommends that<br />
pharmacists have the authority to initiate<br />
prescriptions for minor ailments<br />
and for smoking cessation. Furthermore,<br />
pharmacists will now be authorized<br />
to order laboratory tests for<br />
Medication Therapy Management<br />
and monitoring purposes.<br />
HPRAC did not support pharmacists<br />
being authorized to perform<br />
routine injections or immunizations;<br />
or being authorized to initiate therapy<br />
for travel prophylaxis to prescribe<br />
Schedule ll and lll drugs solely for purposes<br />
<strong>of</strong> reimbursement under an insurance<br />
plan.<br />
Council was extremely pleased<br />
with the recommendations put<br />
forth by HPRAC and appreciates<br />
HPRAC’s recognition respecting the<br />
high level <strong>of</strong> training and education<br />
pharmacists in <strong>Ontario</strong> possess.<br />
The Ministry <strong>of</strong> Health and Long-<br />
Term Care has invited comments by<br />
the end <strong>of</strong> <strong>January</strong>, <strong>2009</strong> and, to this<br />
end, Council has directed that with<br />
respect to the recommendation respecting<br />
the establishment <strong>of</strong> lists <strong>of</strong><br />
specific drugs-categories or classes,<br />
the <strong>College</strong> indicate our support <strong>of</strong> a<br />
list <strong>of</strong> defined drug classes or categories<br />
ONLY where pharmacists initiate<br />
prescriptions for Schedule l drugs.<br />
Council also expressed strong support<br />
<strong>of</strong> the inclusion <strong>of</strong> objects <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>College</strong> to ensure collaboration between<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essions but does not support<br />
the mandatory inclusion <strong>of</strong> other<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essions on our Pharmacy Standards<br />
Committee. The <strong>College</strong> will<br />
however, indicate our commitment to<br />
obtaining and utilizing the input and<br />
expertise <strong>of</strong> those pr<strong>of</strong>essions who<br />
currently prescribe and perform lab<br />
tests as we go forward in developing<br />
and establishing practice standards to<br />
support pharmacists in the new authorized<br />
acts and scope <strong>of</strong> practice.<br />
CPSO Dispensing Policy<br />
Endorsed<br />
The <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> Physicians and Surgeons<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Ontario</strong> (CPSO), in collaboration<br />
with this <strong>College</strong>, has developed<br />
a policy on dispensing for<br />
those physicians who dispense drugs,<br />
or who are considering adding dispensing<br />
to their practice. Council endorsed<br />
the proposed policy, noting<br />
that both the Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Practice<br />
and the Executive Committees were<br />
<strong>of</strong> the opinion that physicians be held<br />
to the same standard as pharmacists<br />
with respect to the controlled act <strong>of</strong><br />
dispensing in order to ensure public<br />
safety.<br />
Advertising Regulations<br />
Upheld<br />
Following the release <strong>of</strong> a report by<br />
the Competition Bureau as it related<br />
to the Pharmacy pr<strong>of</strong>ession, the<br />
<strong>College</strong> undertook a review <strong>of</strong> the<br />
current advertising regulation to determine<br />
whether any revisions or<br />
amendments are appropriate.<br />
The <strong>College</strong>’s current advertising<br />
8 pharmacyconnection • <strong>January</strong>/<strong>February</strong> <strong>2009</strong>