P.E.I. pharmacists can renew prescriptions

P.E.I. pharmacists now have the authority to renew prescriptions.

The change is expected to save Islanders who can't get in to see their family doctor, or don't have one, from lining up at a walk-in clinic or waiting for hours in the emergency department to have their prespecriptions renewed.

"Somebody runs out of their refills of their medications that they've been stable on for awhile…they'll be able to go in to see their pharmacist…and be able to get a prescription for up to 90 days, depending on the prescription," said Richard Wedge, director of medical programs for the provincial Department of Health.

The new rules don't cover narcotics.

'Pharmacists have traditionally been put in a very awkward position.' —Erin MacKenzie, P.E.I. Pharmacists Association

Erin MacKenzie, executive director of the P.E.I. Pharmacists Association, welcomes the changes.

Over the years, it has become an accepted practice for pharmacists to top up a prescription for a patient they know in an emergency, she said.

But up until now, that has been illegal.

"Pharmacists have traditionally been put in a very awkward position," said MacKenzie.

"Do you give that patient enough medication for a few days until they can get their prescription re-ordered by the physician, or do you follow the letter of the law and see that patient go without the medication?"

More changes considered

The provincial government is looking at further changes to the legislation.

MacKenzie hopes P.E.I. follows the lead of other provinces, such as B.C., which have given pharmacists even more authority when it comes to prescribing.

"Altering doses to better suit the patient or the situation based on lab results, or maybe changing a medication," are just a couple of examples, she said.

The Medical Society of P.E.I., the group that represents doctors on the island, supports the latest changes, saying they will help improve patient care.

But if pharmacists are given additional prescribing powers in the future, it might have a different position, the professional group said.

When the province announced more than a year ago that it would be giving pharmacists some limited ability to prescribe drugs, the medical society expressed concerns about patient safety.