Register to learn more about the North Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot
Did you know that some community pharmacists in Canada can prescribe medications for certain minor ailments? In some Canadian provinces, you can see your local community pharmacist for smoking cessation counselling. And some Canadian community pharmacists can prescribe antihypertensive medication for the management of high blood pressure.
With 1 in 5 Canadians experiencing high blood pressure and 15% of Canadians using tobacco products, it makes sense to have these health services more accessible through community pharmacies, right?
Canada and the cases above are some current examples of community pharmacists practicing to their full scope – pharmacists providing more primary healthcare services for their patients. And Canada is not alone! Community pharmacists in the United Kingdom and parts of New Zealand practice to their full scope and provide more healthcare services to those in need.
It’s time Australian community pharmacists join their international colleagues and practice to their full scope. That is the purpose of the North Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot (North Queensland Pilot).
It is well known that community pharmacists play an integral role in primary healthcare systems around the world. Their important role was even more evident in recent years during the coronavirus pandemic.
Back in Australia, community pharmacists have and continue to be a crucial part of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the country, having given more than 6 million Covid-19 vaccine to Australians. More recently in Queensland, the provision of antibiotics by trained community pharmacists for uncomplicated urinary tract infections has become a permanent pharmacy service available for women.
Australian community pharmacists have clearly shown they can provide more healthcare services for patients.
Australian community pharmacists should provide more healthcare services for patients.
The key reason why is because of you – their patients.
Canadian community pharmacists have shown that working to their full scope provides a range of benefits for their patients, including improved health outcomes and a positive impact on patient care, as well as being cost-effective.
Professor Ross Tsuyuki is a Canadian academic and, most importantly, a pharmacist practicing to his full scope. (Check out his experience below!). Professor Tsuyuki has been one of many leading the way towards Canadian pharmacists practicing to their full scope. His research on the benefits of pharmacist’s full scope practice has shown improvement for patients with:
- High blood pressure (hypertension),
- Diabetes (high blood glucose/sugar levels),
- High cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia or dyslipedemia),
- Uncomplicated urinary tract infections, and
- High cardiovascular risk.