“If we had this a month ago, I think it would have saved a lot of emergency trips,” says pharmacist Zorzit
It has been hailed as a way for patients to access health care – at least for minor ailments – without having to spend hours in hospital emergency rooms.
It’s also a way to take the heat off of overworked doctors and nurses in hospital emergency rooms.
As of January 1, 2023, pharmacists in Ontario can assess and prescribe treatments for 13 minor conditions such as cold sores, pink eye and urinary tract infections.
Patients can call ahead or go to pharmacies, present their health card, medication list and medical history, see a pharmacist and receive treatment for any of 13 minor ailments, including:
- Allergies and stuffy nose
- Skin rash
- Insect bites and itching
- Bladder and urinary tract infection
- Pink eye
- Premenstrual and menstrual cramps
- Muscle aches and pains
- Oral yeast infection
- Skin infection
- Tick Bites and Lyme Disease
- Heartburn/acid reflux
- Hemorrhoids
- Herpes on the lips
“I’ve found that people are very grateful for it when they find that they don’t have to wait in the emergency room or make those extra doctor visits,” said Mitchell Zorzit, pharmacist for Shoppers Drug Mart, speaking to SooToday.
“If we had this a month ago, I think it would have saved a lot of emergency trips.”
“Studies show that 30 to 35 percent of all trips to the emergency room can actually be prevented through a minor illness program. This has been shown in other provinces. I am excited. I think pharmacists have benefited a lot from it and we’re starting to see that patients are very receptive to it. The feedback is amazing.”
Pharmacies usually have a private consultation room where patients with minor illnesses can speak to a pharmacist.
The pharmacist will notify the patient’s family doctor of the prescribed medication.
“Once we go through the assessment, we develop a treatment plan and a follow-up care plan, and we’ll follow up with you to see if the treatment is working effectively,” Zorzit said.
If treatment is ineffective, the pharmacist will instruct the patient to see a family doctor, visit a walk-in clinic or Sault Area Hospital’s emergency department.
Zorzit said pharmacists are also trained not to hesitate to instruct a patient to see a doctor if a more serious condition is suspected.
“Not every pharmacy has to do it. Not every pharmacist should prescribe drugs for the 13 minor ailments. This largely depends on the capacity of a pharmacy to do so, as well as the competence of each practitioner. If the pharmacist does not feel comfortable prescribing something, the pharmacist will refer it to a doctor. It’s going to be case by case, pharmacy to pharmacy, there’s a lot of courses and training for pharmacists to complete, but I think it’s a really great thing. I’m excited to do it.”
Zorzit said he first heard that pharmacists would be allowed by the Ontario government to write prescriptions for minor ailments starting in 2019.
Pharmacists in other provinces have been doing this for several years.
“We found out for sure in the middle of summer, so pharmacies are preparing in advance for this by increasing staffing levels and running refresher courses,” Zorzit said.
Most courses are completed online through the Ontario College of Pharmacists and deal with ethics, disease and drugs.
“It was a decent amount of work, but we knew about it beforehand and worked on it over the summer and fall, so our pharmacists were prepared for January 1 and we had a plan in terms of our workflow and how we were going to run the clinic and that we had the competence to we prescribe minor ailments,” Zorzit said.
Both Sault Shoppers Drug Mart locations — at Cambrian Mall and Second Line West — will have pharmacists on hand to write prescriptions for minor ailments.
“The first day we had a lot of people because it was after the holidays and most clinics were closed. The first day was hellishly busy, but since then it’s leveled off. I think people get the most out of it outside of the nine-to-five, when walk-in clinics are closed and doctors aren’t practicing,” Zorzit said.
“The minor illness program is an extension of what we already do. We’ve evaluated these minor illnesses before, but now we have more tools to give patients better access to care.”
“The people at emerg are amazing. They are so good. We hope that we will be able to reduce this pressure a little,” Zorzit added.
“It works better for patients in terms of access to health care,” said Jordan Jack, a pharmacist and owner of two local Pharmasave stores.
“No problem with more work. It’s not like 50 people walk into the store. I’ve only seen three to five people a day, which is perfectly viable. Most pharmacies can do this, and it’s a huge job off the doctors’ backs.
“To me, that’s a huge help for doctors.”
“We see the patients a little bit more than the doctors, so we see the feedback from that. These minor ailments are things that you treat and then five to seven days later, hopefully, they’ll be gone. With us, we can see them in five to seven days so we can see if our treatments are working, which I think is an even better use of our skills,” Jack said.
“It’s going very well. Every day we had eight, nine or ten consultations and we were able to help people,” said Frank Perna, pharmacist and part owner of the Queenstown IDA Drug Mart.
“It’s timely. They don’t waste their time in the emergency room or the doctor’s office.” If they meet the criteria and there are no red flags, they can leave with a prescription in about half an hour. I’m very happy with that.”
Add Comment