Karen Graham
While many of us remember David Tong as our local pharmacist, these days you are more likely to find Pharmacist Steve Suszko behind the counter at the Millbrook IDA location. You may even find Suszko behind other counters in Peterborough on weekends when the Millbrook location is closed- Suszko is a hard working professional in very high demand.
Millbrook Pharmacy Assistants Samantha Burke and Jo Sweeney flank Pharmacist Steve Suszuko behind the counter, ready to serve the community with products and suggestions for better health. Photo: Karen Graham.
With at least five years of university education, Pharmacists like Suszko are highly trained health care professionals who have completed a four year professional degree program, with many of them pursuing post-graduate studies to focus on specific conditions or illnesses. After graduation, they complete program requirements from the Ontario College of Pharmacists, which include practical training experience and passing a national exam in order to obtain a license to practise.
In response to pressure on the health care system and pressure from the Pharmacists across Canada who felt they could offer more to the patient than the regulatory system allowed, their role has been expanded. It took almost ten years for the move to become official, beginning first in Alberta and B.C. and finally moving east to Ontario and Quebec.
In October 2012, the Pharmacists’ role in Ontario was expanded, and their scope of practise has been extended to include the prescription of specific smoke cessation drugs, administering flu vaccinations to patients older than five years of age, the administering of substances by injection or inhalation for demonstration and patient education, and most importantly, the renewal and adaption of non-narcotic prescription drugs or the cancellation of an doctor-issued prescription which they foresee possible drug interactions. In this case, they can swap medications to prevent potential drug interactions or side effects, whereas under the previous regulation the Pharmacist had to fill any prescription provided by a doctor and who they could notify of their concerns.
Prescriptions renewed by the Pharmacist can only be issued for six months, and any adaption can only reduce the dosage, and changes must be communicated to the primary caregiver. The procedures are designed to streamline patient care, which is particularly important to heavy health care users including seniors and patients with chronic illnesses, putting another set of trained eyes on patient care.
The idea of collaboration between these health care professionals is not without challenges. Some physicians expressed concerns about having someone else change their prescriptions without prior discussions, and others worried about patients by-passing physician follow-up appointments by seeking prescription renewals directly from their Pharmacist. There’s also the issue of ultimate liability for the patient’s well-being if something goes wrong. Obviously for these changes to function properly, communication about patient care must flow freely between all health care professionals involved. That means more paperwork.
For some Pharmacists, the changes have not gone far enough. Suszko supports the position of the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, who want Pharmacists to be allowed to diagnose common ailments, give more vaccines, which they believe will take considerable pressure off local Emergency Departments.
At this point, flu vaccines are not yet administered in the Millbrook Pharmacy, but most other changes have occurred, including blood-glucose testing. As the flu and winter season approaches, Suszko dispenses the following advice to protect your health: Regular hand washing and increasing vitamin C intake can help ward off some of the discomforts of the season.
