NEW GLASGOW, N.S. — sIt’s not uncommon for customers to tell Pharmacist Michelle Stewart about how much time they had to spend waiting for a prescription to be refilled at either the Aberdeen Walk-In Clinic or Emergency department.
She wishes they had come to her first. She could have saved them the time.
As Nova Scotia grapples with a doctor shortage and local patients deal with either a doctor retiring or leaving the area, Stewart said that pharmacists can help alleviate some pressure and help patients maintain their health in several ways including extending certain prescriptions up to six months, writing new prescriptions for minor ailments and providing monitoring of blood pressure and diabetes.
In recognition of Pharmacy Awareness Month, Stewart along with fourth year pharmacy student Taylor Canning, were passing out information at the Westside Sobeys to help make people more aware of all that they can do.
“We’ve had a lot of people comment about not having a family doctor or their family doctor retiring, and so for pharmacy awareness month we’ve put together some packages to help them to manage without a family doctor or nurse practitioner.”
Stewart said there are 30 minor ailments that pharmacists can provide prescriptions for. They range from eczema and fungal infections such as athletes foot, to coughs and sore throats.
They can also write prescriptions for smoking cessation or administer flu vaccines.
Information that they can track such as blood pressure can be compiled so that when the patient does see their family doctor, they have a more thorough understanding of what’s going on.
“We have a dietician as well,” Stewart said. “That’s huge for people with diabetes or a new diagnosis and they want to know what they can do. We’re not just focused on prescriptions or drug therapy. We focus on deprescribing and maximizing the use of medication you’re on. It’s not just about adding pills.”
All this is information that Stewart believes people should know about.
“Pharmacists are in every corner of every community. We have extended hours. You don’t necessarily need an appointment to talk to us. There’s so much we can provide and we’re happy to do it.”
30 ailments pharmacists can write a prescription for:
• acne (mild)
• calluses and corns
• cold scores
• skin reaction from coming in contact with an allergen
• cough
• dandruff
• dry eyes
• eczema
• emergency contraception
• fungal infections of the skin (such as athlete’s foot)
• headache
• heartburn/indigestion
• hemorrhoids
• hives – including bites and stings
• impetigo
• joint pain
• menstrual cramps
• muscle pain (minor)
• nasal congestion
• nasal symptoms of allergies
• nausea
• non-infectious diarrhea
• oral ulcers
• sleep disorders (minor)
• smoking cessation
• sore throat
• threadworms and pinworms
• thrush (oral fungal infection)
• warts (excluding facial or genital)
• yeast infection
