July • August 2005 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

many steps in the process undertaken
by HPRAC as it determines
the appropriateness of regulation of
pharmacy technicians. Input has
been sought from stakeholders
respecting this initiative and
Council and membership will
continue to be kept updated as
developments occur in this area.
Statement of
Cooperation with
Pharmacists
The Council of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario (CPSO) has developed a
statement which reflects its willingness
for physicians to work in a
spirit of cooperation with pharmacists.
Council was pleased to note
that CPSO is supporting the
concept of collaborative relationships
with pharmacists.
Electronic Signatures
on Prescriptions
The College continues to work
collaboratively with Health
Canada and the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Ontario
respecting the issue of electronic
signatures. Health Canada’s position
is that signing prescriptions
electronically is not currently
acceptable, and accordingly, they
have been requested to verify
whether the signature generated
by signing a personal digital assistant
is acceptable. Pending any
changes in Health Canada’s decision,
the College’s position is that
electronic signatures are not
valid, and therefore, all prescriptions
containing electronic or
digitalized signatures must be
verified by the pharmacist.
College Hires New
Associate Director
Council is very pleased to note
that Anne Resnick has been
hired to assume the newly
created position of Associate
Director, Professional Practice.
Anne comes to the College with
25 years of practice experience
and we are sure that her enthusiasm
for the profession and her
in-depth familiarity with the
College mandate and process
will serve her well in this exciting
new role.
IMPACT
Congratulations are extended to all
seven of the pharmacists involved
in IMPACT (Integrating family
Medicine and Pharmacy to
Advance primary Care Therapeutics)
for being nominated for the
2005 CPhA Patient Care Achievement
Award for Innovation. Natalie
Jonasson, Shelly House, Robin
Brown, Rashna Batliwalla, Nita
Patel, Margaret Jin, and Lisa Kwok
received their awards during the
CPhA Conference held in Quebec
City recently.
Emergency
Contraception
Effective April 19, 2005, the progestin-only
emergency
contraception pill Plan B®
(levonorgestrel 0.75 mg per oral
dosage unit) became a Schedule II
drug. The membership was notified
of this change through a letter
as well an article by Dr. Tom Brown
in the July/August 2004 issue, entitled
“Interpreting the Standards of
Practice in Providing Emergency
Contraception as a Schedule II
Medication”. Members are encouraged
to review this article. (All past
issues of Pharmacy Connection can
be accessed online at
www.ocpinfo.com.)
Ontario Branch –
Canadian Society of
Hospital Pharmacists
Council approved a grant of $2,000
in support of Educational Sessions
at OC-CSHP’s Annual General
Meeting to be held in Toronto in
November 2005.
Next Council Meeting:
September 12-13, 2005
Contact: urajdev@ocpinfo.com
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