Waterdown pharmacist applauds broadening of health-care role
Local residents welcome the move, but they also have some concerns
Last week, Patrick Turgeon woke up and discovered he had pink eye, so he went to get it treated.
Half an hour later, he had medication and was on his way home. Except, Turgeon didn’t visit a doctor.
Instead, he took advantage of a new program, which took effect at the beginning of the 2023, and allows pharmacists to treat and prescribe medications for 13 of the most common medical ailments, including rashes, pink eye, insect bites and urinary tract infections.
According to a news release from the provincial government, there is no extra cost to Ontarians for receiving a prescription from a pharmacist for certain common ailments when showing an Ontario health card.
The government said the program will help free-up doctors’ time to provide care for more complex needs, helping to reduce wait times in primary care settings, walk-in clinics and emergency departments.
The day before Turgeon visited the pharmacist, he began to notice symptoms and, sure enough, Wednesday morning he was sure he had pink eye. A quick trip to the Walmart pharmacy later and he had a treatment.
“It was fantastic,” he said of the service, adding he was in and out in under 30 minutes and it kept him from having to visit a walk-in clinic or doctor’s office. “I’d definitely use it again.”
The change is something Waterdown Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist and associate owner Andrew Draves is applauding.
“For patient care, I think it has huge advantages because we’re easily accessible,” he said of pharmacies. “From a time perspective and from a time of day perspective — we’re here from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.”
He noted Ontario is one of the last provinces in Canada to adopt the pharmacist treatment model, adding some provinces like Alberta are “considerably ahead of us.” He added for pharmacists it’s just a matter of getting confident and comfortable with treating patients.
Draves said in some cases, such as urinary tract infection, there can be a need for a prior diagnosis. If there is no history, he said, the patient will be sent to a doctor to get checked — or if there is a higher frequency rate that would be a red flag and the patient would also be sent to a doctor.
He added the program is not mandatory, and if the pharmacist is not comfortable or ready for it, they can say no. He added the uptake has been “very good” about a month in.
“People are still learning about it,” Draves said. “The most common things we’ve seen so far are urinary tract infections (UTI), cold sores and conjunctivitis or eye infections.”
However, Flamborough’s Donna Den Engelsman isn’t sold on the move.
“I was overjoyed that the province was going to be permitting pharmacies to do some of these — and I still am with regard to thrush and conjunctivitis,” she said. “But what I was mostly interested in was UTIs and disappointed to find out — and not surprised — the pharmacist won’t be testing prior to actually prescribing any kind of antibiotics.”
Den Engelsman, a retired paramedic, said she is concerned that giving antibiotics without testing a person’s urine can result in the bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics.
“I was really excited they were doing it until I found out they weren’t testing,” she said.
In addition, she is concerned that she was told male UTIs would not be something pharmacists would deal with, adding her husband is often afflicted since a surgery, which leads to them sitting in an emergency room for six to eight hours.
As such, she isn’t sold that it will ease the load on clinics or emergency rooms.
“I know that governments are trying … but I’m not sure that this is the answer,” she said. “I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all anyway — it’s a step, but I think time will tell if it’s a step forward or not.”