Good riddance

Re: “Air Miles abuse,” Letter, Dec. 10.

As a pharmacist, I see inducements having a negative effect on patient safety. However, I did not always feel this way until a number of events changed my perception.

The first is when a business offers 10 times the points, or something of that regard, to all who switch their prescriptions to their chain on a certain day. As a pharmacist working at a different chain, I would know when these days would occur, as some of my patients would phone to transfer their prescriptions to get the points.

Occasionally, someone would forget to transfer their prescriptions back, fragmenting their care and making it more difficult for me to collaborate with their physician when speaking about how well they are doing on their drug therapy. As I see many people much more often than their physician, these collaborations are vital for information regarding sometimes very serious drug interactions and therapy compliance.

The other instance which I have heard from numerous colleagues is people waiting until bonus days to fill prescriptions and going without much-needed drug therapy to get “triple the points.” This practice obviously puts their health at risk, or, in some cases, their children’s health.

These experiences were what I drew from when I gave my feedback to the Alberta College of Pharmacists about how I believe inducements affect patient safety. I am glad that the ACP, with their mandate of protecting the public, has decided to seriously consider ending inducements.

Nathan Morin, Calgary