World Pharmacists Day
September 25th
World Pharmacists Day was introduced by the International Pharmaceutical Federation and has been celebrated on September 25th each year as an opportunity to recognize the achievements of the pharmacy profession in improving the health and well-being of the people we care for
World Pharmacists Day represents an opportunity to advocate for our profession’s value and potential in meeting health needs and addressing health challenges But how have we as a profession done towards achieving this?
Our colleagues Santarossa et al. aimed to answer this question by analyzing Twitter images of pharmacists’ roles for World Pharmacists Day 2020 [1]. Following their qualitative content analysis of 970 tweets by pharmacists and pharmacy organizations about World Pharmacists Day, Santarossa et al found only 11% of tweets showed pharmacists in patient care roles In contrast, 51% of tweets showed pharmacists in drug distribution roles and 29% did not describe any specific roles of pharmacists. Examples of tweets showing pharmacists in drug distribution roles (image A and B) and patient care roles (images C and D) are shown in Figure 1 below [1]
Findings of the study by Santarossa and colleagues highlighted that pharmacists and pharmacy organizations are contributing towards poor messaging of our roles in practice, representing a missed opportunity to advocate for the full scope of pharmacy practice [1].
So what can we do about this for World Pharmacists Day 2024? We hope to encourage all our readers to advocate for pharmacy practice in a way that shows pharmacists’ diversity of skills and roles when practicing at their full scope.
To capture images of pharmacists that better represent their roles as healthcare providers and illustrate the vast scope of modern pharmacy practice, the EPICORE Centre team collaborated with Jim Dobie Photography to produce free Images of Pharmacy Practice, available here: https://pharmacy smugmug com/
We encourage you to use these or similar images when advocating for your practice during World Pharmacists Day 2024
This year, the theme of World Pharmacists Day is “Pharmacists: Meeting global health needs” In Canada, one of these health needs is adequate access to primary care, with demand for primary care services exceeding supply Across many jurisdictions, we’ve witnessed pharmacists practice to their full scope, allowing patients to better access the care they need.
The EPICORE Team recently spoke on this topic at the Canadian Pharmacists Association Summit “Transforming Primary Care in Canada” Our team presented an innovative Primary Care Pathway summarizing the literature and clinical guidelines into an electronic algorithm is a proposed mechanism to support pharmacists in the clinical assessment, management, and follow-up of prevalent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease
Click here for more information on how you can advance your practice in primary care this World Pharmacists Day: https://www.pharmacists.ca/conference/
Implementation of Pharmacist Case Finding and Intervention for Vascular Prevention: PR OACT Study
We are seeking pharmacists to participate in this new study. In this study, we are developing electronic tools to assist pharmacists in their assessment and care of patients at high cardiovascular risk. We are looking for pharmacists working in primary care clinics or who are already delivering advanced clinical services. x
Cardiovascular disease is still one of the leading causes of death in Canada, even though most of its cases and deaths are caused by well-known modifiable risk factors Guidelines recommend using cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment to guide the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors However, such assessment has not been integrated into clinicians’ daily routine
Pharmacists are frontline primary healthcare providers who see patients with chronic conditions frequently Their interventions in patients with such conditions have been demonstrated to improve outcomes and are associated with very high levels of patient satisfaction and significant cost savings While there is strong evidence for the impact of pharmacist care in cardiovascular disease, implementation of this evidence is lacking Such lack of implementation, combined with the family physician crisis in Canada, highlights the need for creative implementation initiatives for this excellent evidence
Primary objective: To determine the impact of a pharmacist care pathway on patients’ estimated risk for major cardiovascular events
Methods
Design: Randomized controlled trial with the patient as the unit of randomization
Setting: Pharmacist primary care clinics
Intervention: Patient assessment, lab assessment, individualized CV risk calculation and education about this risk Using EPI RxISK™ (https://www.epicore.ualberta.ca/epirxisk/), adherence assessment, shared decision making, treatment initiation/adjustment and lifestyle adjustment based on co-designed treatment plan, regular follow-up.
What this study adds: This initiative builds on well-studied interventions and will not only improve Albertans access to CV care, but it will also enhance their knowledge and understanding of their CV risk and risk factors Moreover, the proposed project meets the recommendations of the latest proposals and calls for modernizing Alberta’s primary health Care system (MAPS) as it will be the first project to evaluate CVD services at the pharmacist primary care clinics which will ensure “sufficient research and evaluation capacity built into all early actions to facilitate both accountability and improvement" and will use the online interactive EPI RxISK™ CV calculator which will embrace “technology-enabled care as a foundation” that was identified as a major driver for transformation.
R OC-IT: A Pharmacist-Led Obesity Care Intervention x
***Seeking CDE and/or CBE Pharmacists in Alberta***
Objectives:
To develop the first pharmacist-led obesity management clinics in Canada. Determine the benefit of a pharmacist-led weight management program in patients struggling with overweight and obesity.
Background:
Overweight and obesity is associated with stigma and can also affect the social, economic, and mental wellbeing of those who experience it. We need to find better ways for people who have overweight and obesity to access health care services that help them improve their health. In Alberta, pharmacists have the broadest scope of practice in Canada. They have the ability to prescribe medications and order laboratory tests thus are well positioned to increase access to comprehensive, collaborative care and follow-up for patients living with overweight and obesity in Alberta.
Design:
Prospective before and after study design. With one core community pharmacy-led clinic (Apothecare Pharmacy) and three satellite pharmacy-led clinics across Alberta. The initial step involved creating a core pharmacist-led obesity clinic to establish a benchmark – complete. Satellite pharmacies and pharmacist trainees will be determined and provided standardized training based on Obesity Canada’s clinical practice guidelines and via experiential learning.
We are seeking pharmacists/pharmacies with the following criteria below that would be interested in participating:
Independent community pharmacy/pharmacists outside of Calgary, AB. Have sufficient staffing/overlap.
Pharmacists must have APA, and a PRAC-ID to order lab work.
Practice as a Certified Diabetes Educator® and/or Certified Bariatric Educator®.
If you are interested in participating please send an email to dan@apothecarerx.ca.
Studies: Call for Ideas
Have you noticed something interesting, or had a question come up in practice and thought that would make a great research question? Are you currently recruiting participants for an ongoing study?
We are always looking for ways that we can help YOU turn your questions into research studies or provide you with assistance with your ongoing endeavors. Please email us at rxexcell@ualberta.ca with any ideas or requests, and we’ll work with you to make it a reality!
www.epicore.ualberta.ca/home/rxcellence
rxexcell@ualberta.ca