New Brunswick to Change Pharmacy Legislation

New Brunswick will become one of the few provinces in Canada to change legislation to allow pharmacists to play a greater role in patient prescriptions. Under proposed changes recently announced, pharmacists would be able to provide refills without having to consult with the doctor, and also will be able to alter a patient's prescription or prescribe new medications for minor conditions. People who have a pre-existing condition with an established diagnosis from their doctor, such as allergies, asthma, diabetes or high cholesterol, would be able to see their pharmacist about receiving prescriptions from a doctor. Similar rules are already in place in Alberta and other provinces are in looking at moving in this direction. Pharmacists would be limited in what they could prescribe. They would only assign new medications for minor problems such as cough, colds and skin rashes. Plans are to have this implemented this autumn.

This is in place now in Alberta, and it's in the works now in British Columbia, P.E.I., and Nova Scotia. But some medical associations and experts fear the expanded role placed on pharmacists could set a dangerous precedent. Many physicians agree it makes sense to let pharmacists refill prescriptions as long as a patient's health has not changed. However, they worry about the possibility that pharmacists will start to prescribe new medications on an increasing basis.

This would certainly alleviate some of the problems associated with the doctor shortage in New Brunswick and the rest of the country. This would eliminate a lot of visits to the after hours clinics as well. The change will improve access to care and could encourage more pharmacists to move to New Brunswick. This should save the Canadian Medicare system money. However, this legislation would put a greater responsibility on the pharmacists as well as them requiring further training.