To improve access to primary care, the Montreal Economic Institute (IEDM) believes that Quebec should follow the example of Alberta, which is opening more and more clinics run by pharmacists.
In Canada, 35% of avoidable emergency room visits could be handled by pharmacists, says the MEI in a study published Thursday.
Since opening in 2022, Alberta’s first pharmacist clinic has welcomed between 14,600 and 21,900 patients each year.
Shoppers Drug Mart, which is owned by grocery giant Loblaw, announced earlier this year plans to open 44 new pharmacy care clinics in Alberta in 2024, bringing the total number to 103.
These clinics located in the chain’s pharmacies provide access to various health care services, including the treatment of colds, conjunctivitis and urinary tract infections. Pharmacists can also manage chronic illnesses and order laboratory tests, assess minor injuries and ailments, and administer vaccines.
There are a limited number of pharmacies in other Canadian provinces, including Quebec, that have clinics similar to the Alberta model. This province has the most generous scope of practice and prescribing power in Canada, indicates the MEI.
“Pharmacists have better knowledge of medications than any other stakeholder in our health systems,” underlines Krystle Wittevrongel, senior public policy analyst and leader of the Alberta Project at the MEI, in a press release.
Earlier this year, the Alberta government touted that the expansion of pharmaceutical care clinics across the province has helped reduce pressure on emergency departments and family doctors.
Mr. Wittevrongel estimates that by “unlocking their full potential” pharmacists working in clinical settings in Alberta have made it possible to “avoid tens of thousands of unnecessary visits to emergency rooms.”
—
The health content of The Canadian Press obtains funding through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.