January/February 2009 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

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