N.B. pharmacists publicly funded to assess, prescribe for 7 more ailments
Move is expected to improve access to primary care, reduce strain on health-care system
Effective immediately, patients can seek care at a participating pharmacy, instead of a doctor's office or after-hours clinic, for the following conditions:
- Contact allergic dermatitis.
- Cold sores.
- Mild to moderate eczema.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Impetigo
- Lyme disease prevention after a high-risk tick bite.
- Mild acne.
Medicare will cover the consultation. Patients will still be responsible for the cost of any medications prescribed for these ailments, as well as any fees for injections provided by pharmacy professionals.
Health Minister Bruce Fitch made the announcement Monday in Riverview.
"Making it easier for patients to receive treatment and reducing the number of people going to a doctor or nurse practitioner for common ailments supports our efforts under our provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action," he said in a statement.
'Prescription for relief'
The New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association has been advocating for years to expand the role of pharmacists.
It's a "prescription for relief in our health-care system," according to Andrew Drover, president of the association.
"Today's announcement means thousands of patients will be diverted from emergency departments, doctors' offices and clinics.
Andrew
Drover, president of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association, said
pharmacists have been able to assess and treat 34 conditions since 2014,
but with the service for some of these now being publicly funded, it
should help divert thousands of patients from emergency rooms and
clinics. (Pierre Fournier/Radio-Canada)
New Brunswick pharmacists have been able to assess and treat more than 30 minor ailments, with no need for a doctor or nurse practitioner to be involved, for several years. But patients have had to pay a fee of $20 to $25.
In October 2021, the province began covering non-urgent urinary tract infections in pharmacies for people between 16 and 64 who have previously been diagnosed with an uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
Pharmacists an also provide contraception management and prescribe certain birth control medications, assess and prescribe medication for shingles, and assess and prescribe the antiviral Paxlovid for COVID-19.
In January 2022, New Brunswick added prescription renewals to its list of pharmacy services covered under Medicare. The province said it would allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions at no cost to patients, whether they had a primary care provider or not, and without having to prove it was an emergency.
The change was part of an effort to reduce strain on the health-care system as COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to increase, the government said at the time.
Care sooner, closer to home
Monday's addition to the list of ailments covered by the province "recognizes the knowledge and the education of pharmacists," said Anastasia Shiamptanis, registrar of the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists. "Patient care is at the core of what pharmacists and pharmacy technicians do, and this is a good extension of their role in primary care."
Jonathan Walsh, pharmacist and independent owner of Riverview Guardian Pharmacy, also welcomed the announcement, saying it will help patients get the care they need sooner and closer to home.
"This decision will reduce demand on hospitals, emergency departments, walk-in clinics, and family physicians," he said in a statement. "It also frees up time for our health-care partners, allowing doctors, nurses, and other health-care providers to focus on more complex care cases."
2022-23 NBPA Board of Directors
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NEW BRUNSWICK PHARMACISTS’ ASSOCIATION
P.O Box 3153
Fredericton, NB
E3A 5G9
Tel: 506-459-6008
Toll-free (NB): 1-888-358-2345
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