On December 1, 2016, a great advancement was made to Ontario
pharmacists’ scope of practice. Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and
Long-Term Care, announced that Ontarians will be able to access a broader range
of vaccines through their community pharmacy.
Effective December 15, 2016, the amended regulations under the Pharmacy Act will permit pharmacists to
vaccinate patients over five years of age against 13 more diseases. These
include a number of travel vaccines, including hepatitis A and B, Japanese
encephalitis, typhoid and yellow fever. Furthermore, pharmacists will be able
to administer the herpes zoster (shingles), meningococcal, pneumococcal and
rabies vaccines. A complete list of authorized vaccines can be found here.
Prior to this change in legislation, Ontario pharmacists were
only able to administer the annual influenza vaccine, as part of the Universal
Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP). Following the implementation of UIIP in
2012, over 1.8 million flu shots have been provided in Ontario pharmacies. This
authority will now be expanded to trained pharmacy students and interns.
As demonstrated
by the success of UIIP, leveraging the skills, training and knowledge of
pharmacists through vaccination programs has benefited patients, and the
Ontario healthcare system immensely. In addition to improving immunization
rates, pharmacist involvement will increase patient access and convenience by
minimizing the need to book vaccination appointments with their primary health
provider. Moreover, due to the temperature-sensitive nature of many vaccines,
on-site administration will minimize or eliminate stability-related safety
issues.
All Ontarians are encouraged to ask their local pharmacist
about the availability of various vaccines and any associated costs. Since the
majority of vaccines are not publicly funded, patients may be required to pay
out of pocket for both the product and its administration.
Vivian
For more information, please visit:
References
OPA Today. “Pharmacists to Provide Travel Vaccinations to
Ontario Patients.” December 2016. Retrieved from <https://www.opatoday.com/Media/Default/Scope%20Of%20Practice/Travelvaccines_announcement_FINAL_Dec1.pdf>
on December 7, 2016.
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. “Making More Vaccines
Available in Pharmacies.” December 2016. Retrieved from <https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2016/12/making-more-vaccines-available-in-pharmacies.html>
on December 7, 2016.
