Pharmacist Expanded Scope of Practice

USask College of Pharmacy and Nutrition Supports Province’s New Pharmacy-Based Healthcare Services

The Government of Saskatchewan has officially launched an innovative healthcare initiative that empowers pharmacists to offer one-stop testing and treatment services for strep throat and ear infections. The announcement was made at a pharmacy in north Regina, with Mary Fraser and Danielle Larocque from the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Pharmacy and Nutrition present at the event. The College’s service units, medSask and USask Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE), played a key role in the development of this program.

Speaking about the project, the Honourable Lori Carr, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors, and Rural and Remote Health, shared the government’s vision for improving healthcare accessibility.

“We are pleased to launch this project, one of the first in Canada, which allows pharmacists the ability to offer patients greater access to healthcare services by providing testing and treatment in one visit” she said.

Expanding Pharmacists’ Scope of Practice

This new program enables pharmacists to perform rapid strep throat testing, with results available in approximately 10 minutes, and conduct physical assessments for ear infections. Pharmacists can also prescribe and dispense medications as needed. Initially, 11 pharmacies across Saskatchewan will offer testing and treatment for both conditions, while 37 additional pharmacies will focus on ear infection services. 

A total of 140 pharmacists received specialized training from USask Continuing Pharmacy Education and medSask to deliver these expanded services. Based on the outcomes and feedback, the government may consider expanding the program to more pharmacies across Saskatchewan. The College of Pharmacy and Nutrition will evaluate the program. 

The Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals offers a list of pharmacies offering strep throat and ear infection services in Saskatchewan.

Future of the Pilot Project

Minister Carr emphasized the importance of evaluating the pilot project to identify and address any potential gaps before a province-wide rollout.

“We’re just wanting to do the pilot project to see if there are any gaps that we haven’t thought of or any pitfalls that we may need to address before rolling it out full scale across the province and ensuring that when people do present at a pharmacy that they are going to get the best service available” she explained.

With 430 licensed pharmacies and 1,300 pharmacists practicing across Saskatchewan, this initiative has the potential to significantly enhance healthcare accessibility for residents, especially in rural and remote areas. The Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals has published a list of participating pharmacies offering these new services.

The province said it will evaluate the pilot program and potentially expand it to more pharmacies in the future.

The story was covered by multiple news outlets such as CBC, saskNOW, West Central Online,  SaskToday, CKOM, the Western Standard, and the Regina Leader Post. 

The official announcement can be found on the Saskatchewan Government website as well.